


When in LazyTown...

by orphan_account



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-11-11 12:25:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 39
Words: 33,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11148381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: This is going to be an AU of sorts, set in LazyTown but in different scenarios. Robbie and Sport's lives and the kids' too, told differently.





	1. Part 1.

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a joy to write; I just started one day and haven't been able to stop since. I will update periodically, mostly I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have loved writing it!

Glanni had a swish about his walk that exuded confidence everywhere he went. Robbie thought that was pretty ironic, considering the guy could never approach a crush without snapping a heel.

Robbie shook his head, smirking as he observed his brother walking out the front door of their Victorian Mansion, on his way to some club. He was wearing that stupid pink outfit he always wore - he said it was his favourite, but really, it looked like Pepto bismol and bile. Robbie had no idea how that outfit ever attracted anyone to Glanni, but he didn't often come back home from the club until the morning, which usually told Robbie he had had a one-night-stand. In that case, Glanni had had too many of those to count. Though he didn't care, Robbie always nagged his brother about using protection. Always. Glanni didn't appreciate it, but at least Robbie knew he was listening. 

It was late now, and Robbie closed himself back into the house. Instinctively he drew the blinds. The light outside was soft and pink, but Robbie never liked to have the blinds open after dark. It made him feel unsafe. He couldn't afford to feel unsafe in his own home. Especially not with his girls to protect. 

Ella, the eldest at twelve, was up now, tapping away at her laptop and deep in the middle of another story. Trixie leaned on her sister's shoulder and napped contentedly. Robbie grinned at the pair of them. Two perfect children in such a messed up family. 

"Hey, girls," he said softly so as not to wake up his youngest. He drew away from the windows and over to Ella, looking over her shoulder at the text. He didn't see much before she shut the laptop. Her little tongue stuck up at him in the only gesture of rudeness she knew. Robbie batted her arm with a frown. "Hey, I have a right to know what you're writing on that thing, young lady."

Ella sighed and opened the laptop. "Fine, Pabbí."  
The hazy dark screen cleared to reveal, in Times New Roman font, her science report. "Since you're so interested in the conversion of water to ice."

"Oh,"  
Robbie's frown deepened. "Good. That's good."

At that moment Trixie rose with a yawn, shaking out her three black pigtails. "Where's Uncle Glanni?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes. 

Robbie's hands combed through the wild strands absently. "Out. He went to some club." 

"Again?" Trixie whined, pouting. 

"Yes, again,"  
Robbie kissed the top of her head. "He's not a good girl like you two are."

The girls giggled at his jab. The two men were always poking at each other behind the other's back. Trixie and Ella had grown used to it, ever since Glanni had moved in to their father's house two years before. Whatever apprehension the girls had for him quickly faded once they had learned how good their Uncle was with makeup. Robbie, however, couldn't be won over so easily. In fact, he still wasn't.  
Trixie suddenly sat up, Glanni triggering a reminder in her brain. 

"Dad! Is Uncle Glanni coming to parent-teacher night tomorrow?" 

Robbie looked down. Her face was alight with anxiety and confusion. That was the thing. Even though Robbie had reminded his brother over and over again not to forget, Glanni always did anyway, or blew them off, or something. So he wasn't at all sure if the man would come. He loved the girls, sure, but he'd never been to this kind of thing and he was the kind of guy who would blow it off to look at himself in the mirror. 

Robbie bent down to Trixie's eye-level, looked her in the eyes, and told her, "Of course he'll come. I'll kick his ass if he doesn't." 

Oh, crap. Now what?


	2. Part 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow thanks for all the support and kudos guys! Here's a short chapter, more on the way!

"Why, oh, why did I have to have a date tonight," Robbie groaned, tugging on his purple socks, "and why did I let all of you talk me into it?" 

It was the night of the Parent-Teacher interview, and Robbie's pulse ran quick, like a feverish ape's. He hated his brother for setting him up tonight. He hated him. On Parent-Teacher interview night? This was such bad timing.   
"This is horrible timing!" Robbie yelled in Glanni's face. Glanni blinked. 

"Come on, little brother. Do you really want to be lonely the rest of your life? This guy's only going to be in town two more days."

"Figures," Robbie growled. "And I couldn't see him tomorrow night? What if I don't want to see him at all, Glanni? What if I want to be with my girls on Parent-Teacher night?"   
He put special emphasis on "Parent". "Parent, not 'Relative-Who's-Mooching-Off-Dad-And-Never-At-Home-During-The-Day.'"

Glanni feigned surprise. "Who the hell would do that to you? Let me know, I'll slip something into his drink." 

"Glanni."

"Look, you don't have to go if you don't want to. If you want to take the girls to the school, then I get it." Glanni's tone was mellow. Robbie stared at him and paused in tying his shoe. 

Ella, who'd been staring at the two adults the whole time, suddenly piped up, "I think you should go, Pabbí."

Robbie stared at her. "Ella-" 

"You need to rest. You've taken us to every single one of these since I started going to school. That's a long time."

"Only eight years," Robbie shrugged. Seeing the look on Ella's face, he added with a sigh, "But I guess if you want me to go, I'll go."


	3. Part 3.

The guy was an absolute buffoon. 

When Robbie first sat down, he thought he had the wrong table. It was only when he read the man's name fluently that he knew he unfortunately had stumbled upon the right table. 

"You Íþróttaálfurinn?" Robbie had asked, approaching a large, muscled man with completely orange attire and the most obnoxious orange hat. He had almost been afraid to hear the answer. 

The man had jumped up with such enthusiasm that Robbie's heart flipped inside out. He shook his hand with a death grip. "Yes, that's me! Are you a friend of Shawn's?" 

Robbie had blinked. "Who?"

"Ah," Íþróttaálfurinn had motioned for him to sit down at the remaining seat. "You must be a friend of Shawn's friend." 

Robbie had obliged, sitting very carefully on the edge of the seat. "I guess you could call him that," he muttered, Glanni's smug face in his mind's eye. 

At this, the other man had guffawed. "You're not cheating on me so early in the relationship, are you?" he chortled, wiping tears away from his eyes. 

"No, no, I wouldn't dream of it."  
He hadn't thought what he'd said was that funny. 

"So, you're Icelandic, huh?"

"What?"  
Robbie had started. 

"Icelandic."   
Íþróttaálfurinn's eyes gleamed. "You pronounced my name perfectly."

"Oh." Robbie nodded. "Yeah. Moved here when I was a teenager. We still speak the language at home. Try to, anyway."

Well, that part of the date had been fine enough. Robbie didn't think the guy had a competent sense of style, but he was okay. 

Then, the food had arrived. 

Robbie ordered a Pepsi and a burger with fries, and   
Íþróttaálfurinn made a big show of ordering a tiny salad and water. 

"What is that?" Robbie had asked in disgust. "Bird food?" 

Íþróttaálfurinn laughed as he began to eat his salad. "You are funny. You remind me of someone I used to know." 

Robbie took an indignant sip from his soda. "How can you just not know someone anymore?" he asked. "How does that make sense?" 

"Well, we… we knew each other, in another life. We were very different people."

"Huh." Robbie mulled over this as he chewed. "Different? How different?"  
He looked over Íþróttaálfurinn's all-orange outfit and cheerful disposition. 

The other man had stabbed at a collard green. "He was kind of… a prisoner in my jail."   
He grimaced. "Like I said, way different."

"A prisoner?"   
Robbie's eyes widened. "You just mean like you were his warden?" 

"A guard."

"Whoa, and I thought I had problems," 

Íþró's eyebrows cast downward. "What do you mean?" 

Robbie laughed at the man's expense. "Well, you're - I mean-"  
'A total kook,' Robbie thought.   
"I mean, he must've been something. The way you talk about him, it sounds like you were in love with him or something." 

"I was." Íþró said. "Yes, Glanni Glæpur was one of the best-dressed prisoners there. He was also cunning, very cunning. Knew just how to bribe the others. He knew I wasn't going to be bought, so he used… other... means of getting to me." 

At this point, Robbie, who had fallen silent from shock, came back to his senses enough to retch. "Enough! Ugh, I can't take any more!" he yelped. "Stop with the torture! Glanni's my brother!"

Íþróttaálfurinn went silent for a few moments, his moustache twitching. "Oh. Wow. Is- is he still here? In town?" 

Right then, Robbie's phone had buzzed with a text. A glance downwards revealed it was Glanni. 

Displayed at the top of the screen were the words, "OMG THIS TEACHER IS A TOTAL DWEEB"

Robbie sighed, forgetting his date momentarily as his fingers flew over the keys to tap an answer, "Which one?"

Glanni wasted no time in responding, making Robbie question how he was able to use his phone during the interview.  "The gym dude. Buff. Bone-headed but sweet"

Robbie shrugged. "Never met him. Is he new?" 

"Idk. U should meet him. Seems like ur typ"

"Thank goodness for the distraction. He can't be worse than this guy."

"How bad is he"

"Bad."   
Robbie grinned. "And he has a thing for you. Wanna meet him?"

Putting his phone away, Robbie flashed Íþróttaálfurinn an evil but apologetic grin. "This is your lucky day, my friend."


	4. Part 4.

So now they were in the car, speeding to the girls' school. Robbie knew just which shortcuts to take, weaving in between cars as fast as was allowed. Íþróttaálfurinn seemed floored by the speed at which he was going. 

"Eh, don't look so surprised. I do this every morning when I'm taking my girls to school." Robbie told him as little way of a reassurance. 

He had had to explain as they were walking to Robbie's car that Glanni had taken the girls to a Parent-Teacher conference, and that's where they were going now. Íþró hadn't seemed to mind this. In fact, he was fine with the idea of seeing Glanni in a building infested with children and over-reactive parents, something Robbie hated but did solely for his daughters. 

"Here we are," Robbie jarred himself loose from his thoughts as he pulled up at LazyTown Elementary. They climbed out and rushed into the building, locking the car with a tiny honk.


	5. Part 5.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow thanks for all the support guys!! Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Two Hours Earlier…

Glanni was bored stiff. First the girls had taken him to their homeroom teacher, a middle-aged woman who looked like she'd never been to a single club in her life. She was dressed all in grey, reflecting Glanni's current mood. He shook hands and didn't listen as she introduced herself. He sat there while she praised Ella and berated Trixie, mind drifting, making sure he nodded every once in a while. From all the awful dates he'd been on, Glanni did have that to show for: he could act interested when he was not. 

Next was the music teacher. Glanni thought this one was okay. At least he made an effort to seem hip. Even though it clearly wasn't working, Glanni actually paid attention to him. 

The science teacher, Ms. Watts, was a young woman around his age. Glanni took note of her flawless winged eyeliner and his respect for her shot upwards. When she started talking, her speech was both semblant of a student's and elegant like an adult's. She talked about nothing but the two girls and their performance, but for once during the whole talk, Glanni was intrigued. 

"So how did you wind up being an elementary school science teacher?" he wondered, genuinely curious. 

Ms. Watts paused before answering. "Well, it was my dream job for as long as I can remember," she explained. 

"But do you really want to do this the rest of your life?" 

Glanni could read in her face her reluctance to be at the conference. He knew it wasn't because of him, or the kids. She looked like a bird who'd recently lost his ability to fly. She was confused, and she didn't want to be here. 

They proceeded to the next teacher, giving Ms. Watts something to think about. 

The gym teacher. His card read, "Alex Busybody", a confusing enough name without putting it beside a man whose t-shirt boldly stated, "Sportacus". 

The girls seemed excited about this one, though - more excited than they had been about any of the others. They rushed over to the man, beaming. Glanni struggled to catch up. His heels clicked rapidly against the shiny floor. A few strides had never seemed so long. He plopped down in front of the man, waiting for the girls to introduce him before shaking the man's hand. 

"Sportacus, this is our Uncle Glanni," Trixie said, her usual bored tone replaced by investment. "Uncle Glanni, Sportacus."

"Hi,"  
The man reached over to shake Glanni's hand. He almost ripped his arm off, too. It wasn't so much a handshake as a crunching of Glanni's fingers. He found himself appreciating his brother for going to all of these over the years.  
"I'm Alex Busybody. The kids call me Sportacus." 

Glanni looked the man over. His eyes were practically shining, Glanni noticed, and he had blond hair that was swept out of his face with a baseball cap that fit snugly over his ears. He was cute. Not Glanni's type, but cute. What did Robbie think of him? 

"Glanni." he said of himself.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Glanni!" Alex proclaimed enthusiastically. He clapped his hands together, loud, but no one else in the room seemed to notice. "Where do I start? The girls are a pleasure to teach; all smiles every day." 

Glanni nodded. "We know," 

"They are always eating healthy, and practicing good ethics in my class," Alex continued. He brushed some flaxen hair out of his eyes as he grinned at the girls. "I am very proud of them. Did you know that Ella is one of my best dancers? And Trixie is my best soccer player?" 

"My brother keeps that on file." said Glanni. He offered the girls a genuine smile. "But I'm proud of 'em too." 

Alex's grin grew. "Well, I'm glad. It's important to praise your children for their accomplishments, always. And these girls seem to love being active. Sports are so important to have in life."

Well, Glanni didn't agree with that. Like Robbie, he valued laziness over being active.  
But he just nodded, not wanting to burst the guy's bubble as he continued on his tangent about the goodness and importance of each individual sport. A glance at the two girls revealed that they were gazing at their teacher, enraptured. His attention slipped away to his phone underneath the table. 

What was this guy all about? Maybe Robbie knew. 

"OMG THIS TEACHER IS A TOTAL DWEEB", he texted. 

Robbie immediately texted back, "Which one?" 

Glanni glanced up at Alex for a few seconds. He was talking about 3-pointers, whatever those were. Glanni just nodded before returning to his phone.  
"The gym dude. Buff. Bone-headed but sweet"

"Never met him. Is he new?" 

Glanni grinned. "Idk. U should meet him. Seems like ur typ"  
He couldn't spell for the life of him, but he knew his brother had gotten the message. 

He drummed his manicured nails on his leg as he glanced up at the teacher once again. Then back down at his phone. 

"Thank goodness for the distraction. He can't be worse than this guy."

"How bad is he"  
Well, he couldn't say Glanni didn't try. 

"Bad. And he has a thing for you. Wanna meet him?" 

Glanni squinted at the words in his brother's purple bubble. Who on earth could he have set him up with? With a shrug, Glanni texted back a casual, "sure". 

"Great. Be there in ten."

Secretly he had always known his brother would find a way to sneak out to the school, so Glanni wasn't surprised. He lifted his head back up to the teacher, who had now moved on to a lecture about fruits and vegetables. This was going to be a long night.


	6. Part 6.

As promised, Robbie arrived at the girls' school within ten minutes. LazyTown Elementary, with its rudimentary flagpole proudly displayed out front, had been Robbie's elementary school. Naturally, it had been the first choice for Ella and Trixie. Before the incorporation of gymnastics and exercise, it had been a good school, teaching students the ethics of laziness and sloth. But as Robbie pulled Íþróttaálfurinn with him inside, the words "gym teacher" rang in his ears and the feeling of dread returned. 

Robbie raced into the gym as fast as he could go, and in no time had located Glanni and the girls. It wasn't hard; all he had to do was look for the man dressed all in black and the purple (Ella) and orange (Trixie) girls beside him. 

"Hey, sorry I'm late," he breezed as he fell into a seat beside Glanni. The two girls grinned at their father but then blinked confusedly at Íþró. 

Glanni, for his part, stood up quickly from his seat, terror in his eyes. "Oh, no," he murmured. 

"Oh, this is Íþró," Robbie gestured lazily to the man. "He was my date."   
He looked over to the gym teacher non-chalantly, and instantly understood what his brother had been talking about. The man was incredibly cute, with dirty blond curls hidden by a baseball cap on backwards, and a tiny little moustache that looked like the hands on a clock. Not to mention rock-hard arm muscles. Robbie gulped down the sudden nervousness that pervaded his stomach, well aware that he was blushing hard.   
"Umm..." he stuttered. 

The gym teacher gave him a soft smile, putting out a hand. "I'm Alex. The kids call me Sportacus."

Robbie took the hand, nodding apprehensively to disguise the obvious attraction. "Right."

"I take it you're the girls' father?" 

"Yeah. Yep. This-"   
He jerked his thumb over to his brother. "Is my brother, Glanni." 

"Wait a second," Íþró's voice emerged from behind Robbie. "Brother?"

Alex tilted his head a little before recognition lit up his face. "Íþró? What are you doing here?"   
He stood up from his seat and came around to the other side of the desk, embracing Íþró. Glanni and Robbie stared at the two, mouths agape. 

"What the fu… fudge is going on here?!" cried Glanni. 

Alex stepped back from his brother, grinning. "Íþró is my half-brother! What a coincidence, that we meet here with another pair of brothers!"

Robbie raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Coincidence."  
He looked sideways at Glanni, only to take in his brother's confusedly horrified expression. "What's with you?" he murmured. 

"Well, ah… remember that time I went to jail?"

Robbie looked at him blankly, making Glanni scowl. 

"The jail in Iceland."

"Oh, right!"

"Yeah. He," Glanni pointed at Íþró, who was now laughing heartily with Alex, "was a guard. Did he tell you?" 

"Unfortunately, yes. He told me everything."   
Robbie shuddered. "I almost threw up. You guys were together?" 

Glanni nodded, looking embarrassed. "For awhile, yeah. But it was only to get me out of prison. I used him. You know, just like I use all the guys I go home from the club with. But this asshole can't seem to leave me alone. And I'm afraid he'll turn me in again." 

"Why?" Robbie's eyebrow went up instinctively. "What did you do this time?"

"I got a lot of stuff on record, little bro. If I hadn't escaped, I would be in prison for life." Glanni scoffed. 

Robbie sighed. "And yet, I'm letting you near my children."  
He looked over at Ella and Trixie. "Speaking of children, I think it's past their bedtime." 

He made his way over to the two girls, Glanni in tow. "Come on, girls. Time to get going." 

Ella groaned, but Trixie's mouth opened wide in a yawn as he nodded. Chuckling, Robbie picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. He nodded to Alex.   
"Sorry for getting here so late, er…"

"Nonsense," the gym teacher shook his head, his curls swishing around his face. "It was a pleasure to meet both you and your brother, no matter how late you were. Besides, you brought my estranged brother, too! Now that's something that doesn't happen every day." 

"Estranged?" Robbie felt compelled to ask. It was none of his business, but his curiosity prevailed. 

Alex nodded solemnly. "Íþró and I hadn't seen each other in about five years. He was in Iceland when I came here."   
His eyes sparkled with happiness as he turned to his brother, and clasped him on the shoulder. "But now we are reunited. Thanks to chance, and you, Mr. Rotten." 

Robbie shook his head. "Call me Robbie." 

"Okay," Alex gave him another heart-pounding grin, "Robbie."  
He held out his hand again, and Robbie shook it. 

Glanni, who had been oddly silent for the whole encounter, now peeped, "Okay, wonderful. Now can we go?" 

"Wait," 

This was Íþró. Glanni bit his lip, slowly turning around to face the man. He slid on a mask of toughness. 

"What do you want now?" 

Íþró stepped forward. There was something unreadable in his eyes as he took Glanni's hand and bent down to kiss it. Something warm flooded through Glanni's body as he quivered on the spot, but in the silence came two small words, "Goodnight, Glæpur." 

Then Glanni turned around quickly and ran to the car as fast as his heeled boots could take him.


	7. Part 7.

Robbie sat at the end of Ella's bed, a wearily happy expression on his face as he watched the two girls sleep. Infatuated, he almost didn't notice Glanni enter and sit beside him. 

"Hey," he whispered. He paused as he looked over the girls. "They look tired."

"They are tired." Robbie replied. "They've had a long night, and so have we." 

Glanni just leaned his head on Robbie's shoulder in response. It amazed Robbie how different his brother could be when it was just him, Robbie and the kids alone. It was like he wasn't trying to impress anyone, and Robbie liked it that way. Even though Glanni was a nuisance and an ass, Robbie liked moments like this.

He glanced to the side slightly, so that Glanni's face came into his view. "You're not at the club."

"What, surprised?" 

"Yeah. You're supposed to be in some poor guy's pants right about now."

"Hardy-har,"   
Glanni stuck out his tongue. He propped his chin up on his fists. "And what about you? You seemed to like that Alex guy plenty. Probably thinking about how big his-"

"Shut up," Robbie hissed, but he was bright red. "Alex is their teacher!" 

Glanni raised an eyebrow with a grin. "Hot," 

"You're disgusting."

"Hey, I can't help who I am." Glanni shrugged. 

Trixie shifted in her sleep, and Robbie eyed her as he thought of a good comeback. "Well, Íþró seems to disagree. In fact, I'll bet he thought you tasted great." 

"Shut the hell up."  
Glanni was speaking through gritted teeth. He got up defensively into a standing position, but Robbie pulled him back down to sit on the bed. "We are nothing anymore. Íþró is nothing to me," he continued. "He's a big buffoon. Nothing more. I never felt anything for him, even when I was with him."

"Aw, come on," Robbie nagged, not fazed at the anger in his brother's voice. "You don't think I didn't see you quiver when he kissed your hand?" 

"Involuntary." Glanni murmured, calm. He looked over at his brother with guarded eyes. 

Robbie sighed. "Still. He's in love with you. And if he's really going to be in town only two more days like you say he is, then you'd better get a move on."

A laugh bubbled out of Glanni, in spite of himself. "I made that up to get you to go out with him,"   
He rose slowly off the bed. 

"You'll think about it, though?" Robbie asked, not fazed in the slightest that Glanni had lied to him, but confused as to why he was helping Íþró. 

Glanni shrugged. "Whatever."


	8. Part 8.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, I promise a longer one tomorrow! Thanks for all the wonderful support; it makes my day to see so much kudos! :) Enjoy!

Packing up his gym equipment, Alex rubbed at his eyes. He peeked at the clock on the gymnasium wall. It was already 8:30. Past his bedtime. 

He blinked as sleep blurred his surroundings and made him stumble as if drunk. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he walked over to his brother and held tight to his arm. 

"Whoa, you okay there, Alex?"   
Íþró supported his brother by holding him upright. "Tired?"

Alex nodded. "Long day," he replied sleepily. "but the kids were great. Can you drive home?"

Íþró gave a short laugh. "Of course I can. Where do you live?"

…

Alex fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow, so Íþró snuck back downstairs into the main area of the house and flicked on the television. Mostly he was all about exercise and healthy living, but he also allowed himself some time to relax. Unfortunately all that was on were cooking channels, and Íþró knew he couldn't cook. 

With a sigh, he turned the tv off and leaned back into Alex's blue couch, his mind wandering to what had happened that day. He thought about how he'd gone to dinner with that man in the purple suit and how he had gone to his daughters' school with him. He remembered how he had felt when he saw Glanni Glæpur sitting there with the two girls. How his heart had jumped. Then, how Glanni's face had gone white with fear at seeing Íþró. How he'd gone red when he bent to kiss Glanni's hand. He remembered all this and sighed again. There was no way Glanni would ever be with him, unironically. 

He stood up then, and grabbed his jacket on his way out the door. He couldn't sleep after this, and so he knew exactly where to go.


	9. Part 9.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changing this to mature for some strong language :P enjoy!

The nightclub was surprisingly empty when Glanni entered. He walked over to the bar and sat heavily before the bartender. "Hey, Jives."

Jives, the young bartender, clicked his tongue as he turned to make Glanni's usual. "Tequila?" he asked, just in case it had changed. 

"Yup. Drowning my sorrows and all that shit." 

Jives nodded sympathetically, but refrained from asking what he was upset about. He'd learned that it was often best not to ask. 

Glanni leaned backwards in his seat to take in the rest of the patrons. Apart from him, there were a few figures in the corner booths huddled together, almost invisible in their dark clothing. Two prostitutes in bright flapper costumes whispered together as they gestured to a mysterious man nearby. He looked down the bar and spied a man sitting quite to himself, but unlike the others, he wore bright orange under the dimmed lights. Glanni rolled his eyes. Obviously the man didn't know squat about not drawing attention to oneself. He grimaced in second-hand embarrassment but turned back to Jives as he accepted his drink. 

Jives nodded at the man in orange, wiping down the counter with a rag. "Don't recognize him. D'you know him?"

Glanni squinted at the man, then shrugged. "Nope," he said, "and I wouldn't want to. He's embarrassing. Who wears bright orange to a nightclub?"

"Someone who's never been to one before. Or he could just not obey societal norms." 

"Hmm."   
Glanni was intrigued now. A misfit of society was his kind of person. "I think I'll go introduce myself." 

Maybe he could get laid. If he was lucky. 

He brought his tequila with him as he sidled his way over to the isolated man. Sitting on the stool near him and taking his stillness as a good omen, he sipped on his drink and purred, "So what's a guy like you sitting way over here on his own?" 

The man didn't turn from his drink to look at Glanni. In fact, he didn't think he had registered him at all until he spoke. "Avoiding everyone else," he replied darkly, "and my problems. Mostly my problems."

His voice was familiar, yet Glanni couldn't exactly place it. It nagged at the back of his mind while he continued the conversation.   
"Right. Isn't that what people do here? Drown their sorrows?"

The man said nothing. Vaguely through the darkness, Glanni saw him lift his drink to his lips, a clear glass of either water or vodka. If it was the latter, then this man must want to drown a lot. 

"You got a name?" Glanni asked impulsively, his interest at its peak. 

There was a silence between them filled only by the thumping music of the club in the background as the other man paused. 

"Íþróttaálfurinn. Íþró for short."

Oh. So that was where Glanni knew the voice from. Figures he'd run into him again. He debated whether to reveal his own identity or remain hidden under cover of the darkness in the club, but figured he'd been silent too long to be considered normal; any other person would have right away responded with their own name. Íþró was still waiting to hear his name. 

With a sigh of resignation, Glanni scootched closer. He gave a short, ironic laugh and ran a hand through his gelled hair. "What a surprise. Íþróttaálfurinn, at my nightclub. And I was trying so hard to avoid you." 

Glanni could hear the man's breath hitch. "Glanni Glæpur?"

"The very same."

There was a paper-thin silence, as awkward as ever.   
Íþró took a sip of his drink - probably water or some shit like that, Glanni thought. This time it was Íþró who barked a laugh. "Well."   
He cleared his throat. "Coincidence."

"Was it really?" Glanni wondered. 

"What - what do you mean?" 

"Well, how do I know you didn't follow me here? I mean, what are the odds that we would both come to the same nightclub among the thousand others there are in town, at the exact same time of night?"   
Glanni shook his head as he took a swig of tequila. "Pretty weird."

Glanni detected the skepticism in Íþró's voice even before he replied cleanly with, "I don't even know where you live. How could I do such a thing in such a short amount of time?" 

He was right, Glanni had to admit. His theory was juvenile. "How are you always so fucking quick?" he growled. 

Íþró chuckled. "Light on my feet," he reminded the other man. "So what are you doing here, Glæpur? Just drinking?"

"Fuck no," Glanni spat. "I wouldn't get a hangover if there wasn't a reason." 

"Me neither. What's yours?" 

Glanni just shook his head. "Too complicated." he muttered. "What about you? You never even drink." 

"How do you know?" 

"Because I can tell fucking water from alcohol, you asshole." 

Íþró grinned. "Ah, you haven't changed even after all these years. Still just as quick-witted. You're right. I've never drunk alcohol before in my life. So I guess you could say I'm just bored." 

Glanni's drink sat untouched as he raised an eyebrow. A black lipstick mark was attached to the rim of the glass. "Bored," he repeated, dead-pan. "Alright." 

"My brother is wonderful, but he works by a very strict schedule. Every day up at the same time, down at the same time, planned out ahead of time... You know." 

Glanni shrugged. 

"So tonight, after he fell asleep, I snuck out to the club. For just a few minutes. I'll be back before he gets up."

"Huh."  
Glanni wondered for a split second why on earth he was still sitting next to a man who could potentially put him behind bars again. He didn't think too much on the matter, however; the tequila's magic was starting to kick in. 

"Why are you here, Glæpur?" Íþró tried. "You said it's too complicated. I can handle complicated. Take it from the beginning." 

"Why do you want to know?" Glanni demanded.

"Because I have a feeling I'm one of those reasons." Íþró told him solemnly. 

Glanni paused. Sighed. "Yeah. Yes, you are. Okay, start at the beginning."  
He couldn't believe he was crazy enough to spill the beans to Íþró. 

…

"…and then you showed up at the school, and kissed my hand, and left me! It's been a really majorly bitchy week." Glanni finished. He stroked his tequila glass absently. "So if you're going to take me back, you might as well do it now. I won't put up much of a fight now because I'm loose."

"What are you talking about?" Íþró seemed genuinely surprised. 

"You're not going to take me back to jail?"

"What? No! If I wanted to, I would have done it by now." 

Well, that was true. Glanni shrugged. "I've told you everything. Now what do you want?" 

In the darkness of the club, Glanni didn't register Íþró leaning over until he felt soft lips upon his own. Starved for affection, he sighed and returned the kiss instead of shoving the hero away, gripping onto his locks of brown hair for stability. 

When Íþró pulled away, there was an aura of nervousness and embarrassment about him. "I want you," he proclaimed, voice hoarse with heavy longing. "I want things to be like they were in that jail, save the prisoner and warden part. Why can't we just be together, Glanni?"

"Because," huffed Glanni. "We can't." 

With that, he pulled the man with him out of the bar, upstairs to a private room.


	10. Part 10.

A heavy fog hung around Glanni's head as he woke up in an unfamiliar bed. The mattress was all too hard for his aching body, so he tried to sit up and get out but found he wasn't able to move easily. 

He groaned, starting to realize he'd definitely had sex at the same time his bed made a groaning noise.   
Except it wasn't his bed. 

It was a man. 

And this man was none other than Íþróttaálfurinn. 

Covering his mouth so as not to screech at the shock of his drunken actions, Glanni watched carefully as the other man sat up too. Íþró's hair stuck up in several directions, lacking his hat to hide it, and he turned slowly to face his bedmate. To Glanni's amazement, he grinned.   
"Hey," he said, as if nothing was wrong. 

Glanni blinked. "Wow. We fucked."

"I know,"   
Íþró's grin was infuriating. 

"What do you mean, 'I know'? This was not supposed to happen!"   
He slapped Íþró across the face, but the other man's grin refused to leave. "Snap out of it, you idiot! This- this was a drunken fucking mistake."  
He ran his fingers through his short cropped hair and began to get out of the bed, making a beeline for his pile of dark clothes on the floor. 

Íþró seemed to finally snap out of his trance for awhile as he observed Glanni hurriedly get dressed. He climbed out of bed and bent to pull on his pants, leaving his bare chest exposed - Glanni averted his gaze from the man's toned abs, as these would surely give him an excuse to have sex with Íþró again. In no time, Glanni was done up in his black bodysuit as if nothing had ever happened. Yet his trip to the door was cut short by Íþró. 

The other man lunged forward and blocked the way out of the room with his body. "Wait a second,"   
Íþró had an odd look on his face. "Don't leave. I-I'm not going to arrest you."

Glanni growled. "How do I know that? How do I know you won't turn on me, lock me away again like you did last time?"   
He stared up into Íþró's eyes, and found they held some semblance of guilt. "Besides, you know I don't play for keeps. We would be the fucking worst couple ever. Do you realize that? I don't want to make that mistake."  
He sighed, shifting his weight as Íþró said nothing. "Did you ever consider the fact that maybe I want to set a good example for Robbie's kids? Trixie and Ella, they're the greatest. I want them to look up to me. If I'm with you, that can never happen."

"Why not?" asked the other man, though he knew very well what the answer was. 

"Because you bring out the worst in me," Glanni told him, and without another word, he left. 

…

Robbie rose off his loveseat and rubbed feebly at his eyes when his alarm went off at six o'clock that same morning. His body ached with sleep deprivation but he swung his legs forward in an attempt to walk to the kitchen anyway. He had work to attend to. 

…

"Tricky! Rottenella! Breakfast!" 

Robbie's hollers made his two girls lumber into the kitchen to the smell of scrambled eggs and bacon. Ella sniffed at the food, pleasantly surprised, but Trixie simply sat at the table, her head foggy with sleep.

"Dad, you called me 'Tricky' again," the youngest complained as her father piled egg onto her plate. 

Robbie shrugged. "That is your name, isn't it?"   
He laughed when she didn't. "Oh, come on, sweetheart. I'm only joking. What kind of father would I be if I didn't know your name?" 

"The kind of father you are now," Trixie muttered, but dug into her food anyway. 

Ella stared at her father. "Pabbí, are you okay? You're cooking eggs and bacon instead of cereal, and you're never this cheerful in the mornings."

"Hmm. Well, I don't feel any different," Robbie commented, ladeling some bacon onto Ella's plate. "In fact, I'm more tired today than I was yesterday." 

The two girls pondered this, studying their father as he hummed to himself and cleaned away the dishes. Ella shrugged to herself. The only reason she could think of was that he was in love, but that was crazy. Their father hadn't been in love forever.

…

That morning, Robbie felt that weirdly, driving to the girls' school was more enjoyable that usual. "Hey, what classes do you two have today?" he asked, out of the blue, having no idea why he was curious about this. 

Ella and Trixie exchanged glances. Initially not catching the oddity of their father's behaviour, Trixie was now fully in the loop. All of what Ella had pointed out had made sense - their father was never this cheerful. 

"Umm, I have french, music, gym and history," responded Trixie hesitantly now. 

Ella nodded. "English, drama, art and gym for me," she added. 

"Hmm."  
Robbie adjusted his grip on the steering wheel as he turned into the school parking lot. "And gym… Alex is your teacher?" 

"You mean Mr. Sportacus?" asked Ella. "Why?"

"Yeah, whatever. No reason. He teaches you kids all day long?" 

"I think so." 

They were idling in the parking lot. Trixie reached for her book bag, but Ella stopped him, her ears perking up attentively. "Why, Pabbí? Do… you maybe want to see Mr. Sportacus again?"

She was onto something here. Robbie's expression changed just slightly, but slightly enough for her to catch a hint of a surprised blush. "No! No, he's a buffoon. Probably got nothing in that head of his, and his muscles are most likely filled with air!"

"Actually," Trixie piped up. "He used to be a math teacher." 

Robbie rolled his eyes. "Alright, whatever, forget I asked. Have a good day, now get out of the car."


	11. Part 11.

Back at home, Robbie pulled up his list of orders along with his sewing machine. He sighed contentedly to himself in the silence before breaking it with the noises of the machine. 

It was so noisy that he almost didn't notice Glanni walk in, a jaunty sway to his hips as if he hadn't been gone all night. However, Robbie barely looked up from his sewing. 

"Hey, Glann," he called. "Had a good time?"

Glanni peeked his head into Robbie's study and shrugged. "Eh," he replied, which told Robbie he probably hadn't had the best time. 

Robbie looked up and made an explicit gesture, to which Glanni nodded. "Yeah. We did."

If Robbie were any good at reading people, he would be wondering why Glanni was so distant today - assume that Glanni had slept with someone he was uncomfortable sleeping with. But Robbie just turned back to his sewing machine. "Well, someone got busy tonight!"  
There was a smirk on his face. Glanni simply sighed.   
"Protection?" 

Glanni shrugged. "I don't know. I was drunk. Besides, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any STIs."

"I'm surprised you don't have any," Robbie muttered. "Anyway, was it good?"

"Yeah. I guess. I had to leave."

"Aw, you didn't even get his number?" 

Glanni scoffed. Yeah, he wasn't ever getting that guy's number. "Nope. Oh well. He was a good fuck, and that was that." 

Robbie shrugged. "Oh well," he repeated. "Wait - not a prostitute, right?" 

…

"Alright, kids, let's play some Volleyball!" Alex announced in the gym, to a wide array of cheers.  He clapped his hands as he grinned at the children he was teaching. 

Ella watched him carefully on the other side of the gym, lacing up her running shoes. He didn't look like he could hurt anyone, physically or emotionally, from what she could see. If he was ever going to be with her dad, she had to scope him out first. She sidled over to her younger sister, who had the class with her that period, and pointed him out. Instantly the younger girl groaned. 

"What are we even watching him for, Ella?"   
Trixie stood up from velcroing her shoes closed. "We already know he's a good teacher, and probably an even better boyfriend."

Ella sighed. "Well, I have to make sure."   
She eyed the man, who was clapping his hands as he herded the winning team over to the other side of the gym. 

"C'mon. Let's just go play. You know, I'm not even sure if Dad likes him."

"What do you mean?" Ella smirked. "You don't think Pabbí likes men?" 

Trixie stuck out her tongue. "I don't want to even think about Dad liking women. Come on, they're starting soccer."

…

A feeling of contentment rested in Alex's stomach after the school day was over. He loved teaching the kids - partly because they were fast learners, and also because they were very eager to learn and easy to please. He smiled at the thought of all the kids coming to see him at the Parent-Teacher interview, and then remembered how his brother had also come back thanks to that night. He wondered where Íþró was - his brother hadn't come back home since the last night - but Alex shrugged his worry off. Íþró could handle himself. He was his older brother, after all. Just like Glanni was Robbie's older brother. He was sure Glanni went out a lot and Robbie didn't worry. After all, he had other things to worry about - Ella and Trixie. 

As Alex bent to pick up his gym equipment and head home for the day, he noticed the dopey smile that had spread across his face at the thought of Mr. Rotten. His mind began to wander. Robbie was quite a handsome man. He couldn't help wondering if he was single.


	12. Part 12.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Thanks for all the support :)
> 
> Enjoy this next chapter!

...

Robbie never expected the phone call that came the next day. He had been in the middle of a sparkly purple dress for Ella's upcoming dance recital - he had been adding the lace to her stockings - when he'd recieved the news that Trixie had had an "accident". 

"What kind of accident?" he'd demanded, flinging the dress down on his work table. 

He was grabbing his keys and out the door by the time the principal spoke again, "Oh, she's just been hit with a… what was it again, sweetheart?" 

Robbie listened to hear Trixie's muffled voice in the background, pausing with his keys in the ignition. "A what?" he snapped. "What was it? Who hit her?"

"It was a football, Mr. Rotten, it seems. She's perfectly alright here in the office."

Robbie grunted. "Alright, my ass. I'm coming to get her."

He hung up the phone before she could utter another word. 

…

He arrived at the girls' school within seven minutes and raced straight into the office. To his horror, Trixie sat with a strip of gauze taped to her forehead. The dark red was evident underneath it. Without a word Robbie knelt at her feet and pressed his fingers onto the skin under the cut. Trixie winced. "Ow, Dad, that hurts!" she exclaimed. 

The principal glided over, her heels clicking on the impeccable tiled floor. "Mr. Rotten," she nodded respectfully. 

Robbie had no room for respect. "What the hell happened here?"  
His teeth were gritted, as if his daughter had a bullet wound in her head. 

"She was hit - unintentionally - by a particularly hard football, like I mentioned on the phone." said the principal. She barely flinched at his menacing tone. She had probably had experience with this in the past, Robbie figured, but still, he had hoped she would be a little more afraid of his wrath. "She won't need stitches, but we've decided to put some gauze on the wound, to keep away infection." she continued, unfazed. 

"Gauze?"   
Robbie's frown deepened, and the worry creases in his forehead etched further into his skin. "How hard was she hit?" 

Trixie placed her small hand on her father's arm then, getting the gist of how scared he really was. "Dad. I'm fine. It's just a scratch." 

Indignant laughter burst forth from Robbie's mouth. "Ah, no it's not!" he told her. "Sweetheart, your forehead is taped up. I can see the blood from here - you were hit by a mutant kid."   
He shook his head at her when she said nothing, instead turning to the principal. "She's coming home. And her sister too. This is ridiculous. Violence like this in gym class?" 

The principal nodded. "I agree with you, Mr. Rotten, but there's nothing we can do about it. The PTA is working on it, believe me."

"Well, I don't think it's the PTA you need to be talking to," Robbie replied with a huff, and his mind shifted to Alex, the girls' teacher. "Surely their teacher doesn't condone this!" 

"I'm sure he doesn't," said the principal. "But these are rules put in place from before Mr. Busybody started working here."

Seeing the look of confusion on his face, she clarified, "Alex is new. He just came into our system last fall. The teacher before him, who recently retired, had these rules put in place. We can't change them unless enough parents start to complain. Then, maybe. If you can get Alex's help too, that would perhaps help even more." 

Robbie didn't like how she hinted that he should be the one to start the uprising against the rules, but he did agree with what she was saying. He simply nodded, and went to sit with Trixie while they called her sister up. 

…

Robbie was relieved to see his other daughter unharmed when she came through into the office five minutes later, her backpack strapped to her back. He was surprised, however, to see Alex come in after her and stride over to Trixie. 

Robbie frowned at the gym teacher. His concern for Trixie was lost on the livid father. "Which kid was it that made my daughter's head bleed?" he murmured so as not to yell. "Tell me which brat hurt my girl."

Alex looked up at Robbie, his eyes full of genuine fear. "I am so sorry for what has happened to Trixie, Robbie," he said as he stood, "it was truly an accident. The other child had no intention of hurting your daughter." 

"She's bleeding," said Robbie bluntly. "She's practically got a concussion. He must have had to hit her with a tremendous amount of force - I doubt any accident calls for that."

When Alex didn't respond, Robbie continued. "What happened to LAZYtown elementary? Hmm? Ever since this stupid new gymnastic unit had been implemented, the kids have had to pay for it. The whole reason I put my girls in this school was so that they could appreciate the virtues of being lazy! Not of falling on your face, or throwing a stupid ball around and taking your eyes out! Exercise is no good, I tell you!"   
His eyes softened as he glanced down at Trixie. "My poor baby," he cooed. He reached for both Ella and Trixie, capturing both in his arms. "My girls."

Alex watched as the man wrapped his arms around his daughters. He was a fantastic father. He wondered what it would feel like to be in Robbie's position. Send your children to a school you thought was amazing and then have it turn out not to be anymore. He shivered. 

"Come on, girls," Robbie told the two, turning away from Alex and the principal. "Let's go home." 

Alex watched him and the girls until they got out the office door. 

But then something dawned on him.

…

"Robbie! Robbie!" 

Robbie didn't turn when he heard Alex's voice, yelling frantically for him to listen. What could the man say that he hadn't already heard? His grip on the children tightened as he pulled them with him towards the car. 

Unfortunately, the man practiced what he preached. He was fit. In no time, he'd gotten to Robbie's Mazda and was standing in front of it. He had barely broken a sweat. Robbie, sweating and panting, let go of his daughters, allowing them to scramble into the car while he spoke to Alex.

"What is it? Sportanerd?"   
Robbie sneered.

Alex barely flinched at the implication, yet smiled at the nickname. "Sportanerd?"  
He chuckled. "I think I'll use that one."

Robbie's eyes narrowed. "Come on, out with it," he spat. "what do you want?" 

"Well, first," Alex started breathlessly. "I think you should be on the PTA. You are absolutely right, and they could use someone no-nonsense like you."

Robbie nodded. Damn right. Didn't mean he had time for it though. "I'm a tailor." he informed the man. "Got barely enough time for myself." 

"Second, I think you're right." 

"Right about what?"  
Robbie blinked. 

"About the children and injuries. These rules are awful, and I'm sorry it's having to take children getting injured for us to see that this isn't safe." 

Robbie nodded. He was onto something here.   
"I'm glad you agree. Now can't you do something about it?"

"I need the PTA to be unanimously in agreement with me," Alex said, rubbing his hair. "There's half in favor, the other half is split." 

Robbie rolled his eyes. "I'll think about it."   
With that, he climbed inside the car and bid Alex adieu.


	13. Part 13.

"A PTA mom?" Glanni exclaimed over dinner that evening. He snorted with laughter. "Oh, that's good!" 

Robbie frowned at him. "You're going to choke," he warned. "And don't be so surprised. If I were on the PTA, then maybe the school would start listening to me." 

Glanni stabbed a fry with his fork, shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe you're overreacting just a little bit? I thought you hated the PTA. You've never wanted to be involved with them before."  
Then he smirked. "Wait a minute - this isn't because of that gym teacher, is it?"

Robbie shook his head violently, balking at the girls' knowing laughter. "Shut up, all of you! This has nothing to do with that Sports Loon."

"Uncle Glanni, you should see the way Dad looks at Mr. Sportacus," Trixie snickered. Her face was alight with a devilish grin. 

Ella nodded. "Yeah, and I think Sportacus likes you too, Pabbí," she informed her father. "His ears get all red whenever he sees you."

Robbie thought about that. Hmm. He must have missed that. He promptly shook his head. "You are all insane," he told his family. 

"Your face is red, little brother,"  
Glanni had raised an expertly stenciled eyebrow. "There's nowhere to run."

At this, Robbie stood violently, turning and stomping upstairs to his room without another word. He left two flustered girls and one very smug Glanni, who knew that only the truth could rile his brother up like that. 

…

Alex breathed out, prepping himself. The number displayed across the top of his phone was waiting, all he had to do was tap it and it would call. So why couldn't he bring himself to tap it?

The sound of the front door closing and heavy footfalls invaded his thoughts at that moment, and Alex sighed as he placed his phone down away from him.

Íþró poked his head around into the kitchen with a soft smile at his little brother. "Hey, Sport," he hummed. "Who are you calling?"

"I'm trying to call Robbie Rotten,"  
Alex frowned. "But I can't."

"Oh, you mean Glanni's brother!" Íþró smiled. "He's a nice guy. Not bad-looking, either."  
He chuckled. "Planning on asking him out?" 

Alex shook his head vigorously, his curls leaping around his face like springs. "No, I don't know. I was just going to talk to him about the PTA, and ask him if he's going to join after all." 

"Aww."   
Íþró's bottom lip jutted out in an expression of sympathy. "Don't worry, little brother. I'm sure you'll figure something out." 

At that moment, a call came through on Alex's phone. To his surprise and great coincidence, it was Robbie! He gasped, immediately taking the call and blushing at his brother's knowing smirk as he left the room. 

…

"GLANNI! WHAT THE HELL!!" Robbie screamed at his brother as the phone began to dial Alex's number. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" 

Glanni, who was safely on the other side of the room, out of harm's way, simply shrugged. "If I didn't do it, no one would." he offered. "You gotta call your boy sometime."

Robbie growled. "I swear to all the-"

He cut himself off when Alex's voice tentatively called, "Hello? Robbie?"

Glanni smirked at his brother and left to give him privacy. Robbie clutched the phone in both hands as he replied. "Hi, uhh, Alex! Uhh what's up?" 

He immediately face-palmed. Really? 'What's up?' In his embarrassment he kicked the corner of his coffee table but was shocked when he barely made a dent in it, instead sending pain shooting up his knee. He hopped around with the limb in one hand and the phone in the other, trying hard not to swear. 

"Oh, uh! Nothing really. I just- wanted to see if you-"

Robbie's heart beat raced, his pain all but forgotten. What was he going to ask him? "Yeah?" 

"If you were actually planning on joining the PTA."

"Oh."   
Robbie scrunched up his nose in distaste. He was just talking about the stupid PTA. "That. I don't know. I might not have time for it."

"We-we could really use your input," Alex said. He sounded like he was struggling for words. "I've never heard another parent raise such good points."

Robbie scoffed. "That's because you've never met anyone like me."  
Out of spite, he thought briefly about adding that he couldn't do it - that he actually didn't have time to be part of the PTA. But the truth was, borrowing from Glanni's colourful vocabulary, there was some dumb shit going on at that school. And Robbie had tons of time on his hands. Who was he kidding? He was a tailor. He worked at home. Sure, it was daunting and scary to be among all those parents. It would be like school all over again. Still, he had to do this. For his girls. 

He sighed to himself, but he was sure Alex could hear it too. "You know what? I think I can squeeze some time in." 

There was no going back now.


	14. Part 14.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians! Here's a new chapter for all my readers alike :)

Glanni was at the club once again. Tipping his head back to take a shot, drowning his sorrows and that. He stood away from the mingling crowd, the lights burning into his back. Dancing was for another day. Flirting was for another day. Because dancing led to meeting and that led to flirting, everyone knew that. 

Tonight he just felt like drinking. He didn't even know why. 

Jives wasn't working today, so he got a butch young lady in an apron and jeans. She kept calling him "honey", which he didn't get because he was older than her by a decade at least. Still, he let her prepare his line of shots. All tequila. 

He smiled mirthfully as he remembered his brother's fucking obvious crush on that gym teacher at the girls' school. They were cute together, and some part of Glanni suspected Alex liked Robbie too. If that were Glanni, he'd screw the man right away. That's what had happened with Íþró. It was just the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Glanni sighed. No matter what he thought about, his thoughts seemed to criss-cross and run full circle back to that oaf. He tipped back another shot, willing himself not to think about the man's perfect tanned skin, and especially not about his hefty muscles. Those muscles, flexing and straining, and that oh-so-sexy little smirk that spread across his face whenever he- 

"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Glanni moaned, his head in his hands. He hated that his body was still attracted to Íþró. His mind was over it already. Wasn't it? 

"Hey, uhh…" 

Glanni looked up. The bartender was speaking to him as she dried a shot glass. 

"This is probably not my place, but I couldn't help noticing you're looking pretty depressed over there. Everything okay?" 

Glanni frowned, about to tell her to "fuck off", and that she was right, it really wasn't her place, but he sighed instead. She looked earnest, and Jives wasn't there. He cleared his throat. "Can I get-"

She swiped his glass out of his hands and was refilling it before he was even finished the sentence. A grim smile appeared on her face as she handed it back to him. "There ya go." she replied, and ghosted her hands over her apron, brushing at crumbs that weren't there. 

"I-uhh, I don't know why the hell I'm telling you this," started Glanni, "but I guess you get to know. I'm just…"  
He sighed in frustration. "For lack of a better word, I'm hung up."

The woman's eyes widened, and all of a sudden Glanni realized he didn't know her name. 

"Is this about an ex?" she asked. 

Glanni found himself laughing. Íþró was never really anything with him. Not even a friend with benefits. Just a good screw who could get him out of jail. "I guess. I never thought of him as anything more than a person I used." 

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is, I'm still fucking thinking about him."  
A hopeless laugh escaped his lips. "Fuck. I- shit, he's just- I hate him, but I don't. And I screwed him again, just two nights ago. We met at this exact bar, and… and we just- it was like we were in that rhythm again. I thought I was done with him. You know?"

The woman nodded slowly. 

"I want to be done with him. I hate being attached to people like this. It makes everything-"

"You feel trapped," she finished. She was wearing a grim but knowing smile. "Yeah. Mind over body and all that shit. I know exactly what you mean."

Glanni grinned. Such relief filled him at having found someone who actually knew what he was going through, that he grinned. "Shit! Thank you! You're like the only person who's ever said that to me, ever." 

When the woman said nothing else, Glanni prompted her. 

"So, what's your name?" 

"I'm Halla."   
She shifted under the lights, casting a glow over her fringe. Glanni noticed that she had bright red hair, something he hadn't seen before. 

He nodded. "I'm Glanni," he told her. "You're alright." 

"You're alright, too." smiled Halla. Glanni got the feeling that, like him, Halla didn't smile much either. 

"So who's the one you can't get away from?" he asked, suddenly curious. "The one you keep coming back to?"

Halla sighed heavily. Her towel sponged the counter aimlessly as she responded. "Her name is Solla," she said. Her eyes never left the countertop. "Solla Stirða. One of the most gorgeous women you will ever meet. So of course, I was fucking attracted to her. We got tangled up together, I fell into a pattern with her - you know, not friends with benefits but something else with benefits - and I used her. When I left her, I thought I was done with her. But I wasn't. Turns out, she works across the street from here, at the gym."   
Now her green-eyed gaze was trained on Glanni, and he saw only frustration in her eyes. "Every single day, we get off our shifts and every single fucking day, she drives me home. And every time, I look at her and my heart is just… and I think about her like 24/7. It doesn't help that I had sex with her." 

She paused. "Is this how you feel about your guy?" 

Throughout her whole rant, Glanni had felt something akin to comprehension. An extreme knowledge, and empathy for her situation. He realized that he was going through exactly the same thing. "Yeah. Yeah, that's pretty much the whole thing." he said with a depressed chuckle. "That's it." 

He didn't offer up a story, because Halla already knew what he would say. And she didn't ask. Instead, she asked, "What's his name?"

"Íþróttaálfurinn," said Glanni, a fire in his heart.


	15. Part 15.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short one today. I promise more later, and it will be worth it :)

Monday. The day Robbie was going to go and join the PTA. The plan was, he would drop the girls off at school and speak briefly with the principal, then come back in the afternoon and attend the first meeting. Getting into the car that morning was a feat of strength for Robbie - as he ushered the two girls into the back seat, his hands shook with social anxiety nerves. He could barely get into the front seat without his legs feeling like jelly. 

"Alright, girls," he murmured. "Let's go." 

… 

Sipping liberally at his caramel mocha latte from Starbucks, Robbie stepped inside the main office of LazyTown Elementary and signaled his presence to the principal. 

"Hello, Mr. Rotten," the woman said, looking extremely tired. The bags under her eyes had never been so dark. Suddenly, Robbie felt guilty for buying the coffee in such close proximity to her. "I presume you're here to discuss the PTA?" 

Robbie nodded, forcing his guilt down somewhere in his stomach. "I am. I would like to join the PTA. If that's possible."

"I was hoping you would say that," smiled the principal. "And I'm willing to bet, so was Alex."

Robbie blushed at the implication and nearly choked on his coffee. He cleared his throat briskly. "Well. I wouldn't know." he snapped.

"Anyway,"   
The principal clasped her hands together. "So there are ten other parents on the PTA, and only a few of the staff, including myself and Mr. Sportacus." 

Robbie nodded. "Alright. Who are the other parents?"

"You'll have to find that out for yourself, Mr. Rotten." said the Principal, not sounding the least bit apologetic. 

A heavy sigh left Robbie. "Fine. What's next?" 

"We meet every Monday and Wednesday afternoon because of the busy schedules of some parents. Generally, you would drop your children off at the school like usual on these days, go back home or to work until the end of the school day, and then come back to the school, have the half-hour meeting and take your child back home with you. Simple." 

Crap. If she thought that was simple…   
Robbie's mind was doing flips trying to remember even a third of what she was saying. Still, he only murmured, "Says the rocket scientist." 

...

Later, Robbie went back home and plopped into bed, setting an alarm so he'd wake up at midday.


	16. Part 16.

"Alright, kids! Time for soccer!" Alex called to his group as he jogged across the gym. His dirty blond curls bounced with the momentum, reminding him he needed to wash them tonight. He came to a stop, and eyed the eager second-and-third graders before breaking out into a grin. "You guys know the rules already, yeah?"

Most of the kids nodded, others voicing confirmation. 

"Okay good!"   
Alex pointed to the far left side of the gym, where there was a blue net set up. "That side is blue team, and-"  
He gestured to the opposite side. "-that side is red! Divide yourselves in half and start the game; I'll be right back!"

As the kids began to assemble themselves, Alex jogged over to a small door to one side of them and opened it to reveal his office space. With a relaxed smile he reached for his phone, and without hesitation dialed Robbie Rotten's number. 

After a few rings, the man answered the phone. Alex's face lit up as he recieved a groggy, "Yeah?"

"Hi, Robbie!" he enthused. 

"Sportanerd? What are you doing, calling me at this hour-"

Alex found himself chuckling. "It's actually twelve in the afternoon." 

"Wh-what?"  
Robbie's voice was hoarse, as if he'd been asleep the whole day. "I couldn't have… well, I guess I did…"  
A loud yawn came through the other end. "What- what's going on? Is it lunch or something? Is something wrong with the girls?" 

Alex shook his head vigorously. "No, no, none of those. I just-"  
He could feel his face warming when he admitted, "I just wanted to talk to you." 

…

ROBBIE POV:

Robbie was at a loss for words when Alex Busybody called him in the middle of his nap, and certainly when he admitted he just wanted to hear the other man's voice. He held the phone numbly to his ear, mouth agape and face hot. "Y-you-" he started. He was definitely not as smooth as Glanni when it came to these things. "you… Alex…"

"Yes? Are you okay, Robbie?" Alex asked. He sounded cool as a cucumber. Robbie wished he could keep his nerves under control as eloquently as he seemed to be doing. 

"Yeah, I just-"   
Whoa, was Robbie tearing up? "Nobody has ever said that to me. Ever."   
Why was he telling this to the Sportaloser?   
He couldn't stop himself. He was overreacting. It wasn't that big a deal. Yet here he was, blubbering. 

"Ohhh, I'm sorry, Robbie. That's awful."

"Well."   
Robbie twisted his mouth into a grimace. "That's just how it is. I guess you're the only one who really cares, Sportaflop." 

At this, Alex seemed to be the one lost for words. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I think you're a really good guy, Robbie, and probably an even better father. Don't let what others do or don't do bring you down. Okay?" 

Robbie pushed at a tear trailing down his cheek. "Will do. Thanks, Alex." 

He hung up then, and let himself cry.

…

Glanni came home from the bar to find his brother weeping. "I'm home!" he had initially called throughout the supposedly empty house. Yet he had only received gasping noises as a response. Glanni knew for a fact that it was Robbie who was making those noises, and he also knew that his little brother was crying. He knew just what to do.

He waded up the stairs to Robbie's bedroom and knocked lightly on the door, which was closed. Right away the sounds came no more, and Glanni heard scrambling on the other side instead as, he presumed, his brother fumbled with the door. Momentarily it was open, and a red-eyed Robbie stood before him in his pajamas. "What do you want?" he demanded, but Glanni could see the tears he had hastily tried to cover up. 

Yet Glanni laughed. "Really? I come home after two days and that's all you can say? I would've thought you'd ask where the hell I've been."

A nasally chuckle rose out of Robbie, to his brother's relief. "Yeah, I know where you've been. Don't need to ask anymore." he said. "Who'd you hook up with this time?"

"Actually, no one," said Glanni. "I got to talking with the bartender, and had one of the nicest conversations I've had in a long time. I think I have a new friend."

Robbie smiled. "That's-that's great."

Glanni crossed his arms and pushed past him to sit on the bed. Robbie sat next to him. "So whose ass do I need to kick?" 

"What?" 

"You were crying." Glanni pointed out. "You think I can't tell?" 

Robbie's eyes widened for a second before he sniffed, and wiped hard at his eyes again. "Oh. That. That's nothing."

"Well, it's not nothing if it made you cry. Did something happen to one of the girls?"

"No." 

"So what?"   
Glanni frowned. Not being able to figure out what was wrong with his brother was always infuriating.   
Suddenly his eyes narrowed as another thought occured to him. "What the hell did that guy do?" 

Robbie tilted his head in confusion. "What guy? Alex?"   
He shook his head. Glanni could see the red in his cheeks. "He-he called me. But that's it!"

"So why were you crying? I would've expected you guys to be having phone sex, with the way you're always looking at each other."

"Glanni! Stop!"  
Robbie pushed at his older brother, the red becoming more saturated in his face. He held his head, which throbbed painfully under his fingers. "Ohhh. No. He, umm, just called and paid me some compliments. No big deal."

"OH."  
Glanni knew exactly what was going on. His brother had become extremely sensitive since having his daughters, and the attitude he displayed was only a cover for that. If Robbie was presented with something positive, he could cry just like that. His self-esteem issues didn't help much either.  
"Aww." Glanni smirked. "He's a keeper then."


	17. Part 17.

Robbie exhaled shakily, glancing at his car's clock again as he drove to LazyTown Elementary. It read 3:29 - just eleven minutes before school ended for the day. Of course, school wouldn't be ending for his girls until about 4:10 today. It was PTA day. 

Glanni had wanted to come, but Robbie hadn't allowed him. He knew from past experience that Glanni would probably either flaunt himself innapropriately before the PTA or hide in a corner, head in his hands, all in black. 

Robbie could entertain neither, so he went by himself, all nerves and jellied legs. He had slammed the front door behind him and Glanni and taken a deep breath after bidding his brother goodbye - Glanni was taking the other car to a bar or something - then Robbie had climbed inside his car and gripped the steering wheel tight as he started to drive to the school. 

It didn't take more than five minutes to get there, of course. The school was in the same area as their house was. He parked in the parking lot and waited for classes to end. 

…

Not ten minutes of waiting later, kids started to flood out of the building in waves - smallest to biggest - and somewhere in the middle Robbie caught sight of his girls. He got out of the car, pocketed his phone and waved them down. Trixie and Ella ran to him, the biggest smiles on their faces. 

"Hi, Dad!" Trixie said, mushing her face into his jacket in a half-hug. 

Ella put her small arm around his waist and tackled him from the side. "Hi, Pabbí." 

Robbie smiled as he patted both on the back, and bent to give their heads a kiss each. "My girls. How was your day?"   
He was shaking, but the girls were a welcome distraction from his nerves. 

Trixie right away started to launch into an in-depth discussion of why she should be given a sling-shot, while Ella frowned slightly and shook her head. She steered the three of them back into the school for the PTA meeting (to Robbie's chagrin). Robbie resigned himself to his fate as he weaved his way up to the office with Trixie and Ella, arguing about the dangers of sling-shots with his youngest but also agreeing they could be used for Self-Protection.

"But, when would you ever need to sling-shot someone away from you?" asked Ella as they reached the main office. "That's just stupid." 

"Well, I'm not allowed to have a gun, am I?"   
Trixie's tongue was barely visible to Robbie, but he saw it. 

"Trixie," he warned, as they stepped inside the office. Immediately Robbie's gaze came to rest upon all the other kids-and-parents in the room. There were at least five other families besides him, and in the center of it all was Alex Busybody, like a light shining in the center of social darkness. 

Robbie took a deep breath, swallowed down his social anxiety, and stepped forth, first going over to the principal, who was deep in conversation with another parent. Robbie eyed the parent in waiting for the principal to finish. A father, like him, but dressed in a gold suit with flecks of what he suspected was real gold on the white tie. The man's nose was turned up snootily. His kid didn't look any different. In fact, the father's expression was mirrored in the child's small face. Robbie almost rolled his eyes. They must be one of those rich families, the ones who coddled and spoiled their children rotten and believed the child should have the world if they should want it. He couldn't stand parents like that. 

So he cleared his throat, effectively cutting off the conversation. "Well, I came," he announced. His knuckles gripped his daughters' arms so tightly that they were turning white, and the girls had to twist out of his grasp to go and form a play group with the other kids. 

The principal turned. She didn't seem the least bit surprised, or even angry. In fact, there was a smile on her face as she took him in. "So you did, Mr. Rotten. Welcome."

The snooty man from earlier, now twisted with jealousy, butted in. "I am Mr. Moneybags,"   
He shoved an arm systematically at Robbie, and Robbie took the hand after a second.   
"Mr. Rotten," he returned. 

So, they weren't going to be on a first-name basis. Good to know. 

The principal laid a hand on Robbie's arm, drawing him away from Mr. Moneybags. "We are about to start the meeting, Mr. Rotten, and it is customary for any new members to introduce themselves to the group, as well as their children and what they do for a living. Will you be comfortable with this?" 

"Whatever," Robbie could barely register himself muttering. "Say a few words, put on a show, sit back down. Just like school." 

"Exactly." smiled the principal. She nodded before leaving his side. "I'll let you mingle on your own for a bit." 

Robbie nodded back, with the full intention of not mingling at all. But as he was glancing at his girls to make sure they were okay, his gaze crossed Alex's. A sticky heat invaded his cheeks, and his palms immediately began to sweat. Alex was looking at him like he was looking at a model - in absolute awe. Robbie almost wished he'd look away. Almost. 

But then the meeting started, and it was all too soon time for Robbie to do some speaking. 

This was going to be a long night.

…

"Robbie Rotten," Robbie was saying grumpily. "My kids are Ella and Trixie. I'm a stay-at-home dad, and a tailor."   
He looked up, his reluctant gaze connecting with a few other parents around the group as he fell silent. Alex smiled encouragingly at him. His voice had been eloquent and flowing despite its roughness, like a husky song. Clearly, he knew that these introductions were not the most important thing about the meetings.

But Robbie cleared his throat again and stood still. "Am I done?" 

Alex let out a chuckle at that, as did some humourable parents.   
Principal Morris nodded. "Yes, Mr. Rotten. You may sit down now." 

Robbie sat, his gaze hard. 

"So, why are we all here again?" Principal Morris continued. It was rhetorical, of course - everyone knew why they were there. 

Mr. Moneybags answered anyway. "It's because of your old gym teacher's damned rules,"   
His nose was lifted as if he smelled something rotting, like always. 

The principal made a noise of approval. "Precisely. Well, I wouldn't put it quite so… passionately, but that is in essence why we are having these meetings." 

A meek, quiet mother on Alex's far left raised a hand. "Miss Morris, how many more meetings are we going to have before our children can do gym safely?" she asked. She glanced pointedly at the chubby blond-haired child cuddled into her side, a lovely little boy Alex taught, who was affectionately called, "Ziggy". 

Alex could see Robbie nodding his approval out of the corner of his eye. 

"Yes, she's absolutely right!" he butted in. "How many more children are to be hurt in this horrible- gym class before we do something to change the rules?" 

"Miss Lollipop; Mr. Rotten," said Principal Morris. "We assure you we are doing everything we can."

Suddenly unable to stop himself, Alex raised his hand too. "So why don't we? We have enough parents now to cast a formal vote." he pointed out. All the parents stared at him. Eleven pairs of eyes trained on the gym teacher. Including Robbie's. 

The principal, hesitating for a moment, seemed to regain her focus within it. "Alright. This is silly, I know - but everyone here against the gym class's brutality, raise your hand." 

Seventeen hands went up in the air, including those of the kids. Miss Morris made a note quickly on her phone - "Alright… eleven…" she muttered - and with a smile, turned back to the parents. "I've sent the email. Should have results to you all by tomorrow morning!" 

The room erupted in cheers. 

…

"Dad?" 

Robbie barely registered Trixie's voice by his side. "Hmm?" 

"Go talk to him." 

He started. "What?" 

Trixie had on a mischievous smile. "I know you're staring at Sportacus. You should go and talk to him. Me and Ella'll wait."

Robbie raised a warning finger. "Trixie Rotten-"   
But he was blushing hard. 

Before he could lay a hand on his daughter, she scampered away, back to her sister. Cursing everything in existence save her, Robbie got up and made his way over to the gorgeous man a little ways from him. 

Alex looked up curiously as Robbie sat down next to him, but a smile soon found its way onto his face. Robbie gulped. Damn, he was cute. 

"Hello, Robbie," Alex said cheerfully. "Thank you for coming. I don't think we would have gotten to voting so fast if not for you." 

Robbie felt his cheeks burn, and picked at something on his slacks. "Oh, I'm sure you would have," he mumbled. "I didn't do anything, really."

Alex's brow furrowed. A pang of sadness echoed through his heart at the other man's refusal to take a compliment. He knew this indicated a lack of self-esteem, which was awful because Robbie was such an amazing person. Instead of saying this, he simply placed a hand on Robbie's shoulder and gave him him most reassuring smile. "Yes, you did." he said finally. "You were our eleventh parent. Without you, we wouldn't be able to make our complaints known to the board." 

Robbie said nothing. 

Emboldened, Alex ventured, "Can I take you out for dinner sometime, Robbie?"

"Whoa, where did this come from?" asked Robbie, suddenly alarmed. 

Alex offered a small shrug and red cheeks. "I would like to get to know you better. That is, if you want to. It's fine if you -"

"Yes. I'll go."   
Robbie cut him off abruptly. "I'll go. Name the day."


	18. Part 18.

Glanni was laughing his head off by the bar. "Fuck! That's so creepy!"   
He reached for his drink and nearly choked on it. 

"I know!" snorted Halla, wiping down the same spot on the counter for the twentieth time. "I had to turn around, like tell him, 'I'm a fuckin lesbian, asshole.'"

"Did you really? Oh, girl- did he leave you alone after?" 

Halla shrugged. "No clue. I fucking hope so."

Glanni's eyes sparkled with glee as he wiped tears of laughter from them. "Wow, I don't remember the last time I actually laughed like that. That felt good." he admitted. 

"Yeah, I know what you mean," agreed the bartender with which he had formed an unlikely friendship. "I used to have to force my laughter all the time with Solla."

"Mmm! Same!"   
Glanni gulped down his drink. "And Íþróttaálfurinn never even fucking suspected anything. He was such a moron. 

"Damn right," nodded Halla. 

Just then, the bar's front doors opened, drawing away Glanni and Halla's attention. In walked a woman with vividly pink hair cropped short and pinned back from her face with what looked like butterfly clips. She was heading straight for Halla and Glanni. 

"Fuck," Glanni heard Halla mutter. "I forgot my shift ends early today."

Glanni gestured to the pink-haired woman, who now was only a few feet away. "This is Solla?" 

He turned back to Halla. Her nod was barely perceptible under the dim lights. "Guess you get to meet her now." 

"Hi, Halla!" called a cheerful yet ditzy voice from behind them, as if on cue. Glanni whirled to face the pink-haired Solla. Her dazzling smile quite reminded him of Íþró's insufferable yet charming one. 

"Solla. Hey," said Halla, in a tone Glanni could only distinguish as extremely nervous. Halla was never nervous. "Oh, umm, this is Glanni. I serve him drinks when Jives' slacker ass doesn't come to work."

Glanni gave a half-wave to rival the beam Solla sent his way. "H'lo," he offered. In return, she waved. 

"Hi, Glanni! Nice to meet you!" 

Huh. She seemed sweet. Definitely ditzy, but sweet. Glanni decided that he liked her. 

Yet Halla only groaned in annoyance as she slid out from in front of the counter to join Solla and Glanni on the other side. Untying her apron, she slung it over her arm and gave a quick wave to Glanni before Solla grabbed her arm, pulling her away to the doors. Glanni saw them out. He could only imagine what they would be doing tonight, and hoped Halla wouldn't be hurt again like he with Íþró. 

…

Robbie couldn't believe it. He was actually humming again. 

Humming as he woke up. Humming while he prepared breakfast, made the coffee and the Kids' lunches. Humming, whirling around the kitchen, some meaningless, stupid pop tune on the radio - but it didn't matter, because it didn't matter what he was humming. It mattered why he was humming. He was humming because he was happy. And he was happy because he was in love. 

"Hey, what's gotten into you?" Glanni had chuckled as he swaggered through into the kitchen area. He had come back from the bar at one in the morning - Robbie had heard him. 

At the remark, Robbie had simply poured his brother his coffee, dropped three teaspoons of sugar and milk into it and kept on humming. The two girls had already left for school at this point, opting to take the bus to avoid their father's odd behaviour in the car. But they already had a suspicion of why he was acting this way. 

Glanni had sat down at the table. "You finally going to admit that you love that overactive kangaroo?" he'd asked, pulling out a compact to touch up his eyebrows. 

Robbie had stared at his brother for a few minutes before admitting, "I've got a date with him tonight,"

"Tonight?"   
The compact had closed with a click. "That's brilliant! Huh, nice work." 

…

After that, Glanni had left for some kind of "errand" he had to run in town, the likes of which Robbie didn't want to hear about. That left Robbie at home with a list of orders and a stomach full of moths. He felt as if they were all eating a hole through his stomach to get out.

The nervousness was starting to set in. 

Robbie held his stomach, doubled over the work table in his basement. His eyes were shut tight in an attempt to calm himself down. Instead, he started to think more and more about the dinner date. 

At six in the evening that night, Alex would pick him up and take him to a restaurant of his choice in town. They would eat, talk, laugh until Robbie had to go back home to his girls. Simple, in theory. 

But Robbie was helplessly anxious. What would he wear? What would they eat there? Could he trust Glanni to look after the girls? What if something went wrong while he was gone? What if Alex didn't actually like him once he got talking to him? 

So many worries, so many questions raced on and on through his mind, over and over. He held his head: if he concentrated, then most of these questions had an answer. 

1\. A nice formal shirt and pants. Not too formal, not too casual.   
2\. He would eat whatever he saw and liked.   
3\. Yes. Glanni loved the girls almost more than he loved himself.   
4\. If something goes wrong, there are emergency numbers on the fridge and Glanni knows 911.   
5\. Robbue wasn't sure what the answer would be. He could only hope Alex wasn't trying to fool him, like those stupid dates in high school. 

Taking a deep breath in, Robbie tried to finish his first commission.

…

By 3:30 in the afternoon, only two commissions had been finished. Robbie looked up at his clock and sprinted up the stairs and out the front door to get to the school on time. 

...

Alex just had to be there, outside the school, helping kids into cars when Robbie got there. He just had to be. All bright smiles and shiny hazel-blond hair, and gorgeous blue eyes that seemed to twinkle from miles away. Robbie could feel his moths reawaken as he pulled up near the entrance to the school. He spotted his girls come bounding down the steps just as Alex opened the back doors of his car. 

"Hi, Robbie!" a grin was flashed toward Robbie, who blinked through the temporary blindness. "How was your day?" 

Robbie twisted in his seat both to greet his girls with a wave, and to see Alex better. "Fine. How were the girls?" 

Alex laughed and walked over to the open passenger seat window, leaning his elbows inside the car. "Well-behaved and great team players as usual! Ella's coordination and balance have greatly improved, and Trixie's stamina is at an incredible level. I am very proud of them both. They are making excellent progress." 

Robbie gave a small smile, proud himself. "Well, they'll be sure to get a special treat on the way home," he replied. The excited cries from the girls let him know just how much they were in favor of the idea. His smile widened. 

"So," Alex was saying. He cleared his throat nervously. Robbie noticed he was fidgeting, quite violently. "Uhh, are we still on for tonight?" 

It didn't take long for dark red to invade Robbie's cheeks. With a hurried nod, he answered Alex's question. He took notice of the smile that settled on Alex's face before he abruptly took off with the two girls in the back. 

He had a lot of getting ready to do.


	19. Part 19.

It was five-thirty and Robbie was in the bathroom getting ready, humming happily once again. Glanni and the girls watched him cautiously from the bathroom doorway and exchanged knowing looks. 

"He's going out with Mr. Sportacus," pointed out Trixie. 

"It's about time," breathed Glanni, ruffling her hair. "I'd have taken this opportunity long ago. But your dad's patient - he takes his time. That's a good thing." 

Ella nodded, observing as her Pabbí applied some blush to his cheeks. "That way you don't get hurt." 

Glanni had to admit the little girl was right. She didn't know the half of what she was talking about, but somehow she was right. "Now, how did I get such a smart niece?" he asked, pretending to be astonished. Ella smirked up at her uncle and a tiny pink tongue shot out. 

Just then, Trixie shooshed them both, her hand waving at them to stop talking. "He's coming out," she hissed, and the three accordingly scrambled out of the way, Glanni jumping onto the couch in the living room with a magazine and the two girls scooting into two kitchen chairs to finish their homework. Robbie's heels clicked, echoing throughout the hallway, muffled only by his voice. 

"I know you three were watching me. You can stop acting natural now." 

Glanni and Ella looked bruisingly at the youngest, who shrugged hopelessly but hopped obidiently out of her chair and went out into the hallway to meet her dad. 

When she came out again, she was tugging Robbie's large hand in her smaller one as she led him into the living room. Glanni looked up and a smile instantly lit up his face, accompanied by a short gasp from Ella. 

Robbie's hair was gelled back into a slick pompadour to shift it out of his eyes and give him an air of confidence, which was further brought out by the pink accent on his cheeks and light purple eyeshadow. His eyebrows were filled in, looking darker than ever, and his lips held the hint of a bit of lipstick. Finally, he was dressed in a violet suit, complete with a velvet tie. Glanni applauded. 

"Bravo! You look amazing!"

Robbie smirked. "Thanks, Glanni." 

"Except for the part where you look like you're going to a funeral. Why the suit?" 

"Because this is my first date," pointed out Robbie. "I'm not like you, flashing strangers with your short shorts and high boots. I don't have the confidence or the body." 

"Pfft! Like I have the body?"   
Glanni snickered. "That's a good one." 

Robbie sighed, flattening his suit with one hand while the other shook nervously. "He should be here any minute now,"   
He glanced at the clock that rested conveniently on the wall to his left. 

"What time's he coming?" Glanni inquired. 

"6:00."   
Robbie's voice wavered, and forced the air out of his lungs. "On the dot."

His brother sucked on his bottom lip. "Five minutes. Why do I get the feeling he's going to get here at exactly 6:00?" 

...

At exactly 6:00, there came a soft knock at the door of the Rotten residence. Outside was, of course, Alex Busybody, standing and smiling without a care in the world. Robbie rushed to the door and tugged it open before anyone else could beat him and get on Alex's nerves. Alex seemed thrilled to see him; a blinding smile lit up his golden face and he reached out to pull Robbie into a soft hug. 

"Hi, Robbie! Ready to go?" he asked, then letting go, and taking the time to look his date up and down. Immediately his beam was replaced with a look of awe, and the man's cheeks reddened. "W-wow, Robbie," he stuttered, "you look absolutely amazing."

Robbie could feel his cheeks warming underneath the artificial blush. "Thanks."  
He cleared his throat. "Ready? We should probably get going before my family falls and breaks the door they're leaning up against to hear us talk."

Alex's expression contorted in confusion but he nodded. "My car's outside."


	20. Part 20.

"So," Robbie's rugged voice broke the amiable silence between the two men in Alex's car. "Where are you taking me?" 

Alex looked at him briefly, then back at the road. There was an amused smile on Robbie's face, tugging at his soft lips and lightening his features, making them appear younger. "A restaurant in town," he responded. "It's called, 'Candie's'. I know the owner personally; sweet old lady who was friends with my family for a long time. You will like it there. I guarantee." 

A deep chuckle rose from the black-haired man, and Alex observed him shift in the passenger seat to get more comfortable. "Well, it certainly sounds good. Is there actual candy there?" 

"That's the secret. None of her food is made with any candy." 

Robbie's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Oh. Wow. Impressive."   
He paused. "But it's not one of those low-cal, vegetarian, vegan, nut-free health-nut restaurants, is it? I can't stand those." 

Alex shrugged, happy that Candies had some dishes made unhealthily, the way Robbie would like it. He loved that he was already finding out so much about this other man he had come to know only weeks before.

"You'll just have to wait and see," he told Robbie instead, a smile on his face. 

…

It was 6:58 by the time the two arrived at the restaurant. "Just in time," Alex said, whisking himself and Robbie out of the car lightening-fast. They rushed into the restaurant and over to the front desk, where a young woman about their age was consulting a computer near her, a phone to her ear. She made eye-contact with Alex, however, and immediately requested a "hold" with whoever was on the phone. Robbie blinked at her lack of professionalism, but then she came around the other side of the desk and embraced Alex. "Hey! I haven't seen you in so long!" she cried. 

Robbie looked back and forth between the two, beginning to get a semblance of jealousy. "Umm…"   
He cleared his throat, but Alex was already looking at him. 

"Robbie, this is my good friend May!" Alex was saying. Robbie looked over at the woman, and nodded. "May, this is Robbie. He's my date this evening." 

At that, heat rushed to Robbie's cheeks. Nobody had ever sounded so proud to introduce him, not even his own mother. He could barely hide a bashful smile as May shook his hand, giving the two a deviant look. "Oh, ho, good going, Alex!" she proclaimed. "He's a pretty one." 

Alex laughed at that. "Yes, he is," he hummed, his gaze totally on Robbie.

"Aww, okay, I'll get you a table, lovebirds. Hang on one second." May said. She returned to the phone to apologize momentarily to the customer on the other end, then she was fetching a couple of menus and leading the two men into the maze of the restaurant, to two seats near a window. Romantic setting central. With a wink, May departed, giving them privacy and lots to think about. 

...

"So, you come here often?" 

Alex turned back from the window to Robbie, and promptly burst out laughing from this sudden outburst. Robbie was laughing too, more from this response to his cheesy pick-up line. 

"Oldest one in the book," Robbie claimed, his grey eyes gleaming. "In fact, I have used that only once before."

Alex wiped away a tear of glee. "With who?" he asked, and sipped at his water to calm himself. 

Robbie looked down at the suddenly-very-interesting table. "My old wife," he muttered. 

Alex quieted. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's okay," interrupted Robbie, looking up so that grey met blue. "If we're going to be together, we need to know about each other. I'm just choosing to tell you my story on the first date." 

Alex chuckled softly at the informality of it all. "Alright, go on." 

…

"When I was about Twenty-Three, in '98, I was working at a costume store," began Robbie, after having taken a liberal gulp of the red wine he had ordered. "You know, like Party Warehouse, or something. It was to help with college funds, residency, stuff just to get by."

"Right," Alex nodded. His parents had helped him since day one of college, but it was still hard to get by. 

"It was a pretty ordinary job, I was paid like four bucks an hour," went on Robbie, making Alex snort and grin as he sipped his water. "Nothing special. I just helped people find their costumes for Halloween and cosplaying. No big deal. But then, one day, this woman comes in.

"She was pretty intimidated, glasses and sweater and all even though it was June, but she had long brown hair and the biggest eyes you will ever see.   
She said she needed an Eowyn costume, from the Lord of the Rings. Real nerd."   
Robbie chuckled fondly at the memory. He could still picture it in his mind's eye. 

"I was still young, honestly, I didn't know which gender I was attracted to yet, but I remember thinking she was cute. So, being twenty, as she was leaving, I was checking her out, and I used that pick-up line on her."

Alex smiled. "It worked?" 

"Yeah," Robbie nodded. "Surprisingly, it did. And then, we just started going out, and before I knew it, I was proposing. Popped the question at Twenty-Five. She said yes, we were married. Had Ella first, on the first of May, 2002, and then Trixie, on June eighth, 2004. We were married until a couple years after Trixie was born."

"What happened?" Alex asked quietly. 

Robbie sighed. "She started seeing someone else," he said. "One day, we had a fight over something stupid, like money, and then she just told me she was seeing another man, that she couldn't do this anymore, and she left me the next morning. I was depressed for weeks. In fact, it wasn't until about a year ago that I realized I didn't ever even love her in the first place. She was just a friend I had kids with, really. And I never heard from her again."

Alex fidgeted, solemn. "I'm sorry, Robbie."

"Don't be," Robbie told him. He managed to smile despite the mellow topic, showing his sticky-outy teeth. "If she hadn't left me, I wouldn't really have been able to bond with the girls like I am doing. I wouldn't have Glanni over here to help me instead of being in a prison in Iceland, and I wouldn't have realized which sex I prefer, so I could be here with you. She left for the better."

Alex grinned, his ears turning red with happiness and love. 

"The slut." Robbie added. 

…


	21. Part 21.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was so fun writing this chapter, hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Candie was a small, elderly woman with a kindly smile that extended all the way up to her blue eyes, crinkled with age. She owned the restaurant, and brought out Robbie and Alex's dishes with that wide, kindly smile on her face. 

"The steak for Mr. Rotten, and the super salad for Sportacus," she said. Her voice reminded Robbie of his own grandmother, who was dead now but who had had a soft yet scratchy voice. "Enjoy, you two." 

With a wink at Alex, she left the two to their meals. Alex shrugged at Robbie, but he had turned red from the implication in her voice. 

…

"How are we doing?" Candie asked after the two men had finished their meals. Robbie, who was draped acorss his seat, a hand on his stomach, grinned. 

"Amazing," he affirmed. "That was an amazing steak!" 

Alex smiled at his date's enthusiasm, nodding in agreement. "It was great, thanks, Candie." 

"My pleasure," said Candie, smile spreading as she handed over the debit machine. 

Robbie dug around in his wallet and came up with about thirty dollars, exactly half the meal. They were going Dutch - Alex refused to let Robbie pay for it all, and Robbie refused to let Alex pay for it all (though he secretly would have been just fine if he didn't pay).

By the time they were getting ready to leave, it was eight o'clock. Robbie checked his phone over for the time and his eyes widened. "Wow. It's getting late," he murmured, something that wouldn't even have crossed his mind before he had his daughters. 

Alex yawned in return. "Yes, it is. Almost past my bedtime." 

Robbie laughed. "Your bedtime? When's that?" he asked, thinking the other man was making a crack. 

"8:08, usually," responded Alex. "But sometimes I can extend it to-"

"Oh, you're serious?"  
Robbie somehow wasn't surprised. "You go to bed at the same time as my kids. Actually, I think Ella goes to bed later."

Alex merely smiled. "I do it for the kids," he said. "It makes them think going to bed earlier is cool, instead of staying up all night. It works even better with the older kids, who are finishing projects. Allows them to time-manage." 

"Huh."  
Robbie's grey eyes sparkled with interest and admiration. "That's really decent of you. I guess then we'll have to have the second date a little earlier."

"A second date?" Alex asked, starting to get excited. "You want one?" 

A smirk came over Robbie's face, accompanied by a light blush. "Of course, with what I've got planned." 

Alex flushed bright red, and grabbed his coat from his seat as he abruptly stood. Robbie just laughed as he followed him out of the restaurant. 

…

"You know, it's eight fifty right now," Robbie was saying, as the two men rested for a while, idling in Alex's car. "That's fourty-two minutes past your bedtime."

Alex blinked at him through half-lidded eyes. "I would stay up for days if it means getting to see y-" 

At that moment, Robbie couldn't help himself. Alex's shiny blond locks, freckles, sun-kissed skin were impossible to look away from, but his baby blue eyes, hidden underneath eyelid, were another thing altogether. He was so… inexplicably beautiful, and he was surprised at what he was doing but even more surprised that he wasn't jumping him.

Quickly, Robbie clasped his hands to either side of Alex's head, running his thick fingers through a river of curls and effectively making the other man blush even harder. His skin was smooth, softer than Robbie had expected. He took a moment to stroke at it before he looked into his date's eyes and smiled, leaning over to kiss him tenderly. 

Only one thing coursed through Alex's head when Robbie kissed him: Robbie's lips were soft. Exquisitely soft, like petals, down, and they felt perfect on his own. He found himself holding onto Robbie's elbow, clutching desparately, as if he would fade away. 

Only he didn't fade away. And when they pulled apart, Alex was breathing hard. "Well, since you're such a good kisser, I think I should extend my curfew."  
He raised his eyebrows with the implication. 

Robbie guffawed. "Yeah, for sure."  
And he leaned back in for more.


	22. Part 22.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glanni literally flirts with death. Lol. What a champ.

Glanni pulled Trixie's covers up to her chest, leaning over to kiss her cheek as she slept. It was nine at night, and the two girls had just conked out. They had tried their best to stay up and wait for their father to come home, but alas, it was a really good date. He wasn't coming home until late. 

Just as well, Glanni thought with a smirk, walking out of the girls' shared bedroom. He needed to get laid, it's been eight years. 

Suddenly the lock on the downstairs front door clicked, startling the tall man. "That'll be Robbie," he murmured, and snuck downstairs. 

Robbie allowed himself a secret smile as he came home and closed the door behind him. "I'm home," he announced, expecting an avalanche of girls that never came. Instead, there was Glanni, casually sliding down like an eel.

"Not so loud, would you? I just put the kids to bed."  
Glanni was frowning, but he wasn't angry. "They tried to wait up for you, but I told them you were either in grave danger or having a really good time, so that shut them up."

Robbie rolled his eyes. Typical Glanni. "I was having a really good time." he responded.   
Then he undid his tie and placed it on the kitchen table, moving past Glanni to go to the bathroom. 

"Wait. You're not going to give me the deets?" asked his brother in desparation. 

"We had dinner, kissed, and then he took me home," rattled off Robbie without stiliting in pace. "That's it, nothing else, go to the club or something." 

Glanni smirked. "So a second one's in order, then?"

He didn't get a response, but he had a feeling he was right. Without another word, he grabbed his faux fur coat and obeyed his brother. 

…

The bar was unusually empty, and the neon lights seemed duller than was normal. Glanni sat at the counter, expecting to see Halla behind it but instead there was Jives, back again. "Hey, Jives," said Glanni, blinking in confusion. "Where's Halla?" 

"Halla?" asked Jives. He ran a hand through his green hair, rearranging it and causing his goggles to sag against his head. "She's, ah, sick." 

Glanni eyes narrowed, but he shrugged. "Huh."  
Then it dawned on him. "Did she leave with that pink bombshell the night before?" 

Jives went to work lining up shot glasses in a perfect row. "Who, you mean Solla? Yeah. She was giggling about something, I just took it to mean they were gonna get laid."

An almost imperceptible smirk crossed Glanni's features. "Hmm. Interesting." he commented. 

Jives simply shrugged and turned away to resume making Glanni's tequila, clueless. Inside he was cheering for Halla. This was great for her! 

Then the bar's doors opened, and in strode three men. In black masks. With guns. "This is a robbery!" one yelled. "Everyone on the ground!" 

Instantly there was pandemonium as everyone in the bar attempted to escape, only some obeying the robber's advice. Glanni turned back to Jives, shocked, only to find that the young bartender had ducked under the counter in fear and was now whimpering like an animal. Glanni set his jaw firmly. He wasn't a coward; he had had dealings with scum like these people before. He had been a masterful criminal. Perhaps they'd all recognize him and flee without the cash. 

The screaming and scattering of the layman went on, and Glanni winced at the inevitable gunshots that rang out as a result, effectively quieting everyone. 

"Fucking shut up!" shouted the leader of the band. His gun was pointed to the ceiling - the bullet had created a hole in the wallpaper. He took off his mask with one swipe of a hand, revealing a grisly face, cross brown eyes. "All we want is the money, but we will take lives too if that's what it comes to. So you all better fucking cover your traps!" 

Glanni almost snorted. At this point, he could tell they were amateurs. He sat and sipped his drink, unfazed. 

The three robbers went to work searching for the cash register (which happened to be right next to Glanni). To their credit, it was only five minutes before the leader spotted the man in black and made his way over to investigate. 

"Hey," he barked, nodding to Glanni. "Who the hell are you? You the manager here?" 

Glanni shrugged, purposely meeting his inferior's gaze with one of seduction. He licked his lips after a hoarse chuckle. "I suppose. If by 'manager', you mean I know where the cash register is, then yes." 

The other man shifted, waiting. When he didn't appear to get an answer, he settled for yelling again. "Well, where the fuck is it?" 

Now Glanni was just getting annoyed by him. Time to show him who's boss. He smirked coyly, the whole act coming natural to him somehow. A small beckoning motion with his finger had the man walking over carefully, his gun drawn. "Come here, I'll whisper it to you," Glanni murmured when they were a few feet apart. 

He leaned forward on the stool, and when the man was close enough, he snagged the front of his outfit and smashed their lips together. Startled, the younger man fired his gun, which happened to be pointed at Glanni's ribs. The whole bar rang out in shrieks as Glanni groaned and dropped the younger man out of his sweaty grasp. His other hand pressed painfully against his wound. He fell off the chair to the floor. 

Before he blacked out, he noticed three things: police lights outside; the three thugs successfully nabbing a twenty dollar bill from the cash register, and Íþróttaálfurinn stopping them at the door.


	23. Part 23.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy guys :)
> 
> ...

Íþró hated hospitals. He didn't remember what had made him hate them so much, but he supposed it had something to do with the pressure and sorrow he felt whenever he looked at a child with a broken bone. His mentality was always, "I could have saved them!" Also, he'd had one too many hospital visits when his brother had been a child. Sportacus had always been so clumsy and overactive, falling over at the drop of a hat, and Íþró had never been fond of all those visits. 

But now he was going to the hospital, racing, even, to see a man who didn't want anything to do with him. A man whom he'd loved, and he still loved Glanni desperately. 

He checked into the hospital at midnight, feeling frazzled inside. He'd come to accept that Glanni wouldn't want to see him, but Íþró needed to see Glanni. "Florence Rotten, please," he told the woman at the counter, who smiled and pointed him to room 108. Íþró thanked her and made his way to Glanni's room. 

Glanni was awake, lying pale in his bed, his dark hair wild and unstyled. He blinked weakly as Íþró sat next to him. Still, he managed to heighten Íþró's uneasiness with one glance. "So, you came back." said Glanni, feigning surprise. 

"Of course, I came back."   
Íþró frantically smoothed back his strands of auburn hair, as if the motion would scratch out all the animosity between them. "I'm sorry it took so long." 

Glanni didn't comment. Instead, he stared down at his bedsheets. "Can you believe that kid shot me?" he said. He was laughing. "I could tell he didn't know what the fuck he was doing from the moment he stepped into the bar. The one thing you want to avoid when you rob a joint is leaving evidence."

"And they only took twenty dollars." added Íþró, relieved that Glanni was only laughing and not choking with rage. 

This only made Glanni laugh harder. His face regained a bit of its colour as he gave in to the humour in their interactions. Íþró smiled tentatively, fixing the sheets where they were rumpled while he waited for Glanni to calm. 

"Why are you here, Íþró?" 

Íþró had watched Glanni's tongue move, flicking gracefully to pronounce his name, and now he looked into the man's deep-set blue eyes. He realized he didn't have an answer. 

But Glanni spoke again, "We don't deserve each other's company, so why the hell do you keep coming back to me?" 

The sheets became blurry under Íþró's gaze, as he shifted his eyes downward. "Because I saw my brother yesterday," he said finally. "I saw his face when he came home from his date with your brother. I saw how happy he was. I was happy for him, but I couldn't help but want that for me."  
His gaze met Glanni's again. "For us." 

Glanni chewed at his bottom lip. "What makes you think I want that too?" he asked, but his tone was the last accusatory Íþró had ever heard. 

He shrugged. "Because happiness is happiness. It doesn't matter who we were before, does it? You told me yourself you want to set a good example to Robbie's kids. We could start over."

"You betrayed me." pointed out Glanni.

"Because you used me. Glanni, we've both hurt each other plenty. Don't you think it's time we put our differences aside?"

…

"Oh, my… Glanni, what on earth happened this time?" 

Robbie had rushed to the hospital as fast as he could possibly have gone, and now he stood outside his brother's room with Trixie half-asleep in his arms and Ella trailing behind. 

Glanni sat up quickly in bed, and Íþró stood up from his chair, gesturing for Robbie to sit. Robbie instructed Ella to sit in it, perching on the edge of the hospital bed. 

"Did you get shot again?"

"Again? This has happened before?" demanded Íþró. 

Glanni gritted his teeth. "Yeah. To both those questions. And it still hurts like fucking hell, so no, before you ask, Íþró, I'm not fucking used to it." 

At that moment, Trixie blinked sleepily and asked her father if she could have an ice pop. 

Robbie could see Glanni starting to lose his temper, so he carefully handed Trixie off to Íþró. "How about you take these two to the cafeteria to get some ice cream? I'm sure the walk would do you all good."

"Sure," Íþró grinned. Of course, he would never turn down his two favourite things in the world: helping children, and getting to exercise. He left the hospital room without much protest from the girls. 

Once he was gone, Robbie scootched closer to Glanni. "First of all, don't freaking swear in front of my kids. Second, tell me everything."

Glanni explained, in informal, choppy, Glanni-like sentences, what had transpired at the bar that night. It still took around five minutes to get it all out. 

"And then, Íþró says all this sappy shit about how happy that gym teacher looked after your date with him, and how he wants that for us too. I honestly have no friggin clue what I'm going to do. What would you do?"

Robbie leaned over and picked at a bit of fabric on the sheets. "He sounds sincere, but you never can tell. Isn't this the same guy who had you put in jail after you went to the prison in Iceland?" 

Glanni nodded. "Yeah. It is. I thought he was a bastard back then, and now I think of him as a little less than a bastard. So I'm either forgiving him, or just being really fucking stupid."

"Or both," added Robbie. 

"Or both," agreed Glanni. 

The sound of giggling announcing the arrival of the girls and Íþró snapped the two brothers out of their conversation. Íþró came into Glanni's room jogging, Trixie on his shoulders and Ella twirling behind him. Both girls clutched an ice pop - Ella, a purple one, and Trixie, an orange one - and they were laughing raucously at the noises Íþró was making - Glanni guessed it was supposed to be some kind of airplane turbine noise. In any case, it was adorable, and Glanni had to look away. 

If he hadn't, he would have met Íþró's keen gaze and fallen just a tiny bit in love.


	24. Part 24.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glanni and Robbie have an important talk at the hospital, while Glanni's elf takes the girls for ice cream. :)

The day after that, Glanni was able to get out of bed and hobble around atop the room's dusty floor. Íþró, who had arrived at the hospital early that morning with a promise to Robbie that he would look after Glanni for him, as well as a longing to see Glanni again, hastened to help the man in black. 

Glanni had been shot before, but his legs had still turned to jelly as he'd swung himself out of the hospital bed. Íþró had watched him go even paler than he already was, and bare pearly-white teeth so as to grit through the dizziness that worsened his headache. He'd reached for Glanni, had caught the man's freezing-cold hands in his own and Glanni had stopped, peered into his eyes. A rare expression of gratitude flitted across his face before he had silently allowed Íþró to help him in walking. That day had been spent quietly, with Glanni leaning heavily on Íþró and limping around his room and Íþró in disbelief of his luck, aiding the other man until visiting hours were quite over. 

…

The next day, Robbie brought a slice of Glanni's favourite cake to the hospital, and Íþró had volunteered yet again to take the girls off Robbie's hands so he and his brother could talk. Robbie had seemed eager to speak with his brother, and Glanni eager to listen and so he brought the girls down to the cafeteria without question. 

"So, stúlkur mínar, what would you like to eat?" he asked, boosting Trixie up and onto his shoulders as they left Glanni's room. 

Ella smiled, and grabbed onto his free hand. "Do you really have to ask?" 

Íþró laughed heartily, and squeezed her hand, making his way over to the staircase they took to get to the cafeteria. "Let me guess, you want ice cream." 

"Jà!" giggled Trixie, clutching onto his hat. 

Íþró felt a rush of pride; he had been teaching the girls their father's native tongue and was surprised at how fast they were picking it up. "Very good, Trixie! That's excellent! And how do we say 'excellent' in Icelandic?"

"Æðislegt," pronounced Ella smugly. She opened the door to the cafeteria for the other two, as they had arrived almost on instinct. 

"My, what smart step-nieces I'm going to have!" Íþró proclaimed, and the girls giggled at his implication. It had become a game between the three of them, betting on when Robbie would inevitably marry Mr. Sportacus, and they were greatly looking forward to having him as a stepfather. Íþró himself was excited to be able to visit Glanni daily, for he knew he lived with his brother. A grin lit up his face, and he reached into his pocket for his wallet. 

…

"Ok, he's gone," said Robbie, peeking out of the room. There was absolutely no sign of Íþró or the girls, which meant they were most likely safely out of earshot. 

Glanni sighed from his perch against his bed. His booted feet swung casually and scraped the floor. "Good. So, what's new with your Boy Toy?" 

Robbie whipped around with a scathing gaze. "Boy toy? You mean Alex?" 

"Who the fuck else would I mean?" 

"You're going to have to refrain from calling him that. Or would you prefer I call Íþró your 'Boy toy'?"

Glanni crossed his arms. "Touché. So give me the details! Have you gone on any other dates after the first? Or are you too scared?" 

Robbie looked offended. "I'm not scared! At least I've gone on an actual date with him!" 

"So I'll take that as a no, then." 

"No, I haven't had a second date yet.  But what do you expect? I'm off my game completely. Plus, I've never even been with a man before."  
He sighed deeply, and came over to sit nearer to Glanni, on the edge of the hospital bed. He absently smoothed his hands over the crinkled fabric where his rear met the sheets.  
"And- I might've - you know -"  
His cheeks turned bright red, which Glanni knew had nothing to do with his powdered blush. 

"You might've what? Promised something in the heat of the moment?" his brother plied. 

Robbie wasn't at all shocked that Glanni knew exactly what he was talking about. "I just- do you think he expects that of me? I wasn't even thinking. I mean-"

Glanni tilted his head imploringly. "You've kissed, yeah?" 

"Yes, we have," went on Robbie. "And then I kind of hinted at what would happen on the next date. I know it's probably stupid and paranoid, but I don't want this to go so fast, and I need to know he isn't going to be angry when I tell him I'm not ready. Do you know what I mean?"

Glanni placed a careful hand on Robbie's shoulder, his cynicism gone. "Of course I know what you mean. And, honestly, little brother, I don't think you have to worry. From what I've seen -"  
He paused to chuckle, "- this guy, Alex? He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who'd ever be ready for that. I really don't think he'd push you. But if you're so worried about it, then talk to him or something. Use the fucking dinosaur of a phone you have and text the guy. He'll tell you the same thing." 

Robbie let a smile alight his face. "Thanks, Glann." 

"What else are brothers for?"  
smirked Glanni.

"Well, now it's your turn," said Robbie suddenly, casting a backwards glance down the hall to make sure they were still alone. 

"Huh?"  
The smile rapidly faded from Glanni's face. "Son of a bitch!" 

A delighted cackle rose out of his brother. "You can't escape your feelings forever, brother. You've got to spill about Íþró now or forever hold your piece." 

Glanni thought briefly about refusing to admit to anything. But then, he knew Robbie only wanted what was best for him, as he only wanted what was best for Robbie. And as hard as this was for Glanni to acknowledge, there was a lot that he wanted to get out of his system. He looked at Robbie and nodded. "Okay. You got it." 

...

"Well, since you were here last, nothing major has really happened. I mean, apart from the fact that he's been visiting me every day, like regularly, and bringing me food and stuff."

Robbie nodded, urging his brother to continue. 

"And so you know, after a while, I was able to like, walk and all that. The second day, you and the kids weren't here, but he was, and he helped me to walk. Him helping me wasn't really a big thing, but to me, it kind of was. It was like he didn't even need to ask, and I didn't have to say anything. He just grabbed my arms and let me lean on him."

"Huh," said Robbie.

"And I remember looking into his eyes, those stupid, puppy brown eyes, and, as cheesy as it sounds, I let myself go. I let myself fall." continued Glanni. 

"No, it's not stupid," replied Robbie. "Or cheesy. I don't know what else to tell you, Glanni. Nothing I'm about to say, you'll like." 

Glanni was silent, which Robbie took as affirmation that he could continue. "He's still in love with you, which you already knew. But, Glann, I think you're in love with him, too." 

...


	25. Part 25.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy :)
> 
> ...

Glanni remained eerily silent after Robbie's declaration. Gone was the sassy, sarcastic and mouthy Glanni, always ready to quip. Gone was the outspoken Glanni, who would surely be denying such a statement. Instead he said nothing, and Robbie had a suspicion why. 

After a few seconds, Glanni confirmed Robbie's thoughts. "I know," he said hoarsely, rubbing his palms on his jeans. "I don't know what the fuck to do." 

Robbie frowned at his brother's vulnerable state. He reminded him of a wounded animal, something Glanni certainly was not. At the same time, he felt somewhat honoured that Glanni felt comfortable enough to open up to him completely. Even if they were brothers, Glanni had always been guarded, so much so that he seldom revealed his emotions even to his family. With their parents back in their native country and their disapproval of Glanni acting as a wall between them and him, Robbie was the only person he had left to turn to. 

"Look," said Robbie finally, causing Glanni to meet his eyes. He quietly noticed his brother's running mascara before going on, "I might not have gone through any of this stuff, but I do know a thing or two about you, Glann. You've been putting up a wall since we were kids. A brick wall, one that you've made sure no one could get through. I'm sure you thought you were happy with that wall up." 

Glanni seemed to agree. At least he was listening. 

"But we as humans need to feel. We need to feel emotions, that's what makes us human. That includes anger, passion, love. You've been walking around not feeling. Goodness knows how many people you've used, because you don't feel.

"You need to stop unfeeling, Glanni, before you stop feeling at all. What you're feeling right now, it's cheesy, but it's love. It's a chance to feel again. And I think that once you open up to this new feeling, you will have more. You'll be happy, Glanni."

Robbie's gaze was pleading as he reached over to cover his brother's hand. "Isn't being happy what you want?"

Glanni looked at him for a few seconds before looking fleetingly at the hall outside the room, from which laughter was bubbling. 

Robbie got up off the bed. "Speak of the devil," he murmured, as Íþró and the girls walked back into the room. Glanni and Íþró locked eyes almost immediately, Glanni's full of fear and morbid excitement, Íþró's wide with exhilaration and hope. 

Robbie slipping out of the room with the two girls was entirely missed by the men, as was his knowing smile and opening of his chat log with Alex. 

...

Glanni managed to leap deftly off the edge of the hospital bed and hobble over to Íþró, with some semblance of grace, but the other man could see something other than his injury was stunting Glanni's strides. 

"Glæpur," said Íþró softly, as Glanni approached, wincing.

"Íþróttaálfurinn," purred Glanni in return.

"Are you alright?" 

Glanni smoothed out the pained wrinkles in his face, and his shoulders fell as if relaxed, but he was not in the least. "Never better." 

Íþró frowned slightly, the corner of his lip twitching as he looked up into Glanni's bewitching, pale grey eyes.   
"No." he said. "You're not. I think I know you better than you think I do."

Glanni only bit his lip, having fallen silent. 

"Is it something to do with me?" asked Íþró in a low tone. "I can leave, if you want me to." 

A switch was flipped, and Glanni threw up his hands. "It's everything to do with you! But it isn't your fault."

Íþró didn't look confused in the slightest. "Ah. What did Robbie say?" 

"He said enough." murmured the other man, hugging himself. "He made me see some things I didn't before. Do I really put up that big a wall?"

Íþró didn't comment on the subject, but instead gazed into Glanni's eyes. "It's not too late to change, you know, Glæpur. Not at all. We can wait, I can wait. You can take the wall down. You know you can."

"He also said that I was in love with you." blurted Glanni suddenly, causing Íþró to look back in shock. 

"What?" said Íþró softly. "Do you - are you?" 

"I don't know. I think so. I might be."  
Glanni seemed as shocked as he at what he had said. But then his eyes flicked up to meet Íþró's again, and a tiny smile lifted up his upper lip. "It's just all so fucking confusing." he said almost apologetically. "Give me some time, would you?" 

Íþró was beaming. "Take all the time you need."   
And he bent down and kissed Glanni's hand. 

...


	26. Part 26.

"So, Dad,"

"Hmm?"   
Robbie looked up from the television screen across the room as the family ate their breakfast, at the sound of Trixie's voice. "What is it?" 

Trixie crunched her toast, which had an unhealthy amount of Nutella on it. "When are you going on a second date with Mr. Sportacus?" 

At this, her sister giggled, and Robbie was left shocked. His cheeks reddened violently. "Beatrix Rotten! How is that any of your business?"

Trixie smirked. Robbie could tell she wasn't afraid in the slightest, and while this somewhat comforted him, it also made him angrier. "I'm your daughter, Dad. I have to poke my nose into your business. Just like Uncle Glanni does." she offered with a shrug and another bite of her toast. 

Glanni was on one of his last days at the hospital, still recovering, but Robbie knew the kids had some idea of what happened while they were gone getting ice cream with Íþró. This wasn't the first time it had happened. 

Robbie frowned. "You're too young to understand this stuff. Go back to your cereal." 

"I know that you love Mr. Sportacus." said Trixie in return. "Ella knows too. It's kind of obvious. Not going on a second date if you like him is stupid. And he likes you too."

Robbie looked at his daughter before chuckling to himself. Her innocent words of wisdom brought a smile to his face, especially since they were most certainly right. She was exactly like him - not afraid to tell it like it was. 

"As a matter of fact, Trixie, I'm calling him tonight to arrange a date for tomorrow. How's that?" he said. 

Trixie nodded. "Perfect." 

...

"Hi, um, Alex?"   
Robbie couldn't believe how bashful he still was when calling a man he was dating. "Could I talk to you a moment?" 

Alex was in a crowded place, Robbie could tell from the voices and noise in the background. "Yes, of course! Let me just move to somewhere less noisy."

Robbie scrunched up his nose. "Where are you?" he asked disdainfully. 

"I'm at a gym meet-n-greet! We're having it at the bar next door, and you know what people do at bars." 

"Yep. Do I ever." said Robbie flatly.   
"You're talking to the man whose brother is Glanni Glæpur, infamous criminal and bar frequenter." 

Alex laughed at that. "True. Well, I don't drink, so I wouldn't know anyway." 

"Me neither." 

"No kidding?"   
Alex sounded surprised. 

"Yeah, I just could never stomach it. I hate the taste. I'm sure if I tried hard enough, I could get past it, but I can't and I won't."  
Robbie shook his head, thinking of a glass of red wine and feeling the sudden urge to gag. 

The chatter on the other end quieted slightly, and Robbie presumed Alex had fulfilled his promise of bringing the phone into a separate room.  
"So. What was it you wanted to talk about, Robbie?"

"Uh. Oh, right. Well, I wanted to ask if..."   
He trailed off. "If you would like to go on a second date with me, tomorrow night. If you're free?"

Awkward, Robbie mentally chastised himself. 

But Alex seemed to be totally on board with it, as he always was. Robbie could practically see his smile as he responded with sunshine and happiness. 

"Oh, of course! I thought you'd never ask."

Robbie breathed out a sigh of relief, but managed to frown at Alex's other obvious solution, one that seemed overtly easy. "So why didn't you ask me?" 

...

Alex showed up at the Rotten/Glæpur residence at seven in the evening Friday night, a bouquet of violets in hand. "Here you are," he said with a smile. "To hoping I can make up for not asking you." 

Robbie took the flowers, and inhaled their scent. He sneezed. "Apology accepted." 

With a fond laugh, Alex reached into a pocket and pulled out a blue handkerchief, which he proceeded to wipe Robbie's nose with. Robbie smiled at him, leaning forward to give Alex a soft kiss. 

"Are we ready?" he asked, holding out his arm. 

Alex looped his around the offered arm. "Of course." 

...


	27. Part 27.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I'm so happy to finally give this to you guys! Enjoy this chapter guys!*
> 
> ...

"So from what I hear, my brother and your brother are on better terms now." 

Robbie looked over at Alex, his hands on the steering wheel as he drove them to the restaurant he had planned to go to. He returned his gaze to the road after he graced Alex with a smile. "Yes, and who do you think was the one who nudged Glanni in the right direction?" 

Alex snorted. "I have no doubts it was you. Íþró would never be able to do anything like that. Good job, by the way." 

"Hey, I'm surprised I was able to even say anything. He was miserable, so I guess I got sick of walking on eggshells and told him like it was." 

Alex nodded. "I think that's what he needed."

This time, Robbie snorted. "Let's just hope they actually get together in the end." 

...

"Mmm, do you smell that?" 

Alex sniffed the air in the restaurant, his hands resting on the menu on his plate. "Food?" he asked.

Robbie beamed. "Not just any food! The best food you will ever eat, in your life!" 

Alex raised an eyebrow but didn't make a move to counter his enthusiastic boyfriend. "I wonder how Glanni and Íþró are doing." he said instead, opening the menu to a random page and thumbing along the entrees. "Íþró was pretty on-edge when I left him." 

Robbie rolled his eyes, picked up his glass of coca cola. "As long as they get rid of this unbearable tension between them and stay away from me, I don't give a -" 

"Ready to order, sir?"   
A waiter was standing before them expectantly, a menacing grin on his face. Robbie swallowed nervously. 

...

Glanni brushed a hand over his impeccable pillow, thinking. Something he'd never even considered doing before - he'd known all his life that thinking was dangerous. But now he found he was thinking a lot more than was usual. 

He was thinking about everything his brother had said to him the other day, those things about being happy, about stopping unfeeling. Mostly he wondered how long he had been unfeeling, and what had triggered it. He guessed a long time ago, probably around the same time he had run away from home. Remembering home and his parents caused his lips to tug into a frown, so he was grateful for Íþró's consequent intrusion. 

"Knock, knock," said the latter gently. "You alright?" 

Glanni rose from the bed, forced a bewitching grin. "Never better," he replied, going over to the man dressed in orange and turning the grin on him. 

In response, Íþró simply rubbed at his weary eyes. 

Glanni laughed. "I admire you staying up past your bedtime for me, but seriously, you look exhausted. I'm okay, really. Take a break."

"No, Glæpur, I really can't."   
He shook his head grimly. "I told myself I would look after you no matter what, even if I have to stay here with you until the end of time, so I'm staying until you recover, no matter how little sleep I get." 

"Whoa, what's with the sudden heroics?" asked Glanni, stepping back, a hand on his midsection where the bullet had gone in. "I'm not your little brother, Íþró, you don't have to protect me." 

Instead of answering, Íþró walked over to the bed and leaned against it, ruffling his own hair roughly. "I heard it, I should have... I should have listened. I should have been there sooner, I-" 

Glanni came and hoisted himself onto the bed with a grunt. Once he was sitting on top of the covers, he laid a gentle hand on Íþró's cheek. "You're a giant idiot," he said, selecting his words carefully. "You fucking moron!" 

Íþró stared at him. "What?" 

"You're a dick, Íþróttaálfurinn, if you think you're the one who got me shot. As if that's what fucking happened. I was the one who got me shot. Nobody else, just me."   
He frowned, as if that simple facial gesture would confirm it as fact. "He was right next to me, and he had a gun. I made him come closer to me, and I had to go and fucking kiss him, so of course he shot me. I have no one to blame but myself."

The other man didn't seem at all fazed that Glanni had flirted with another man. In fact, he had a smile on his face as he looked up at him. "You are something else altogether, aren't you?"  
His shoulders shook with silent laughter. 

Glanni simply shrugged. "Y'know, it didn't used to be such a big deal to me. I used to be a wanted man, everyone wanted to kill me. And this kid was a rookie, I could tell. Looking back, I don't even know what I could have gained from trying to seduce him. I guess maybe a part of me knew he would shoot, and I was feeling useless so..."

"You didn't care anymore." Íþró finished, his mouth dry. "I hope you feel differently now. Because there are so many people who want you to live. Your brother, his kids... And me. I care, Glanni." 

A spark of warmth engulfed Glanni's cold heart at the sound of his first name from Íþró's lips, and from the feeling of the other man's hands over his own. 

He looked back at Íþró, and saw the desparation in his face. "Please, don't keep recklessly endangering yourself. I will always blame myself for what happened at that bar, and you will always disagree, but the fact is that because you didn't care, you put yourself in harm's way, and I wasn't there."  
He squeezed Glanni's hands. "I can't always be there, Glanni." 

Touched, Glanni softly murmured his assent, and a promise he intended to keep. 

"We can be happy, yeah?" he asked, after several moments intimate silence. 

Íþró simply smiled, weaving his hand around Glanni's neck and pulling him down slightly so he could reach better. "If you would like that, Glæpur."

It was at this moment, while Íþró's thumb stroked his rosy cheeks, stained with blush, that Glanni noted he truly wanted to grow old with this elf-man, and he would be happy the whole time, he knew it. "I would." he said, just as he tasted Íþró's lips, and for the first time, he felt happiness. 

The tears he shed made his mascara, old and runny, stream down his face like tire tracks and fall down into their mouths, but Glanni didn't care. It was the best kiss he'd had in a long time, and made him feel like he'd never been kissed before. Then again, all of Íþró's kisses had felt like that. He smirked through his tearful passion. He'd have a lot to look forward to. 

...


	28. Part 28.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie and Sport go on their date, Robbie feels more insecurities, Sport reassures him like the good bf he is :)
> 
> ...

"Can I have the vegetable soup, please?" asked Alex of the waiter, in that Uber polite way of his. 

"My regular," grumbled Robbie, but he was smirking in that conspiratorial way of his, reminding Alex immensely of Glanni. 

The waiter looked bored as he jotted down the order. "Of course. Will that be the beef sandwich, large and with cut fries?" 

"You know it."  
Robbie nodded. He and Alex handed in their menus, Alex with a friendly smile and Robbie off-handedly. "Thank you," said Alex to the waiter, who rolled his eyes and left. 

As soon as he was gone, Robbie pulled out his phone, and, glancing suspiciously from left to right, began frantically typing. Alex leaned over to see what he was doing, nearly falling out of his chair sideways. "What are you-" 

"Harrassing Glanni," snapped Robbie. "I have to know if he's done it yet." 

"Done what?" Alex asked, puzzled. 

Robbie raised an eyebrow. "Um, what else would he be doing with your brother?" 

"Oh." Alex blushed instinctively. "Right."  
He reached for his water. "I'm sure he has. Knowing Íþró, and how much he cares for Glanni, I'm sure they are doing things that aren't advisable in a hospital."  
His blush gone, he snickered into his drink. 

Robbie stared at him for a moment before the smirk returned. "Oh, so you aren't as innocent as you pretend to be, are you?" 

"Just because I go to bed at eight o'clock, doesn't mean I don't know anything about anything." offered Alex sparsely. 

At this, Robbie leaned back, and seemed to take a deep breath in. Alex's smile faded. "Are you alright?" he asked. 

"Yeah, yes, I'm fine." Robbie replied. He managed a smile. "It's just that, I was worried. Worried before today."

"Worried about what?" said Alex. He placed a sturdy hand on Robbie's bicep, as if to keep him grounded. 

"Worried that maybe things were moving too fast. All this flirting, and talking about the things Glanni and Íþró are doing, everything with such implication. I was just worried that I wouldn't - be ready and that I would dissapoint you, or make you want to leave me. I know that sounds stupid, I do-"  
Robbie took a moment to inhale; he had said everything so rapidly, it was like word-vomit. "It's just that it's been so long since I've been with anyone like that, or even like this, just going on dates and I - I'm completely out of my depth-" 

"Robbie. It's ok." 

Robbie looked at the man before him, eyes wide and aware. 

"I understand," continued Alex. 

"You-you do? You mean, you've been married to an untrustworthy woman and are completely out of your depth too?" 

"Well," said Alex, allowing a chuckle. "Maybe not the part about the crazy ex, but I can honestly tell you, and I feel like I can tell you this, that I am just as out of my depth as you are. In fact, I didn't even think you would say yes when I asked you on the first date." 

Robbie's mouth was gaped open. "Really?" 

"Absolutely. I mean, from the first moment I met you, I knew I wanted to date you. And face it, such a handsome man and a great father like you, and a gym rat bachelor like me? I didn't think it would ever be possible." 

Robbie could only stare in surprise, wanting desperately to reassure him but finding the words were gone from his mouth. 

Alex took his silence as affirmation that he could continue. "Even now, I'm thinking even just being with you is too good to be true. So I'm not going to rush you, or force you to do anything you are either not ready for, or don't want to do. And when you are ready, I will be too. There are even some things I don't think I'm ready for. But with you, I believe we can try anything."

The smile that he radiated onto Robbie was one he had never seen before, and it filled his heart with love. "That's such a relief to hear." he gasped, but wearily. "Thank you."  
He pressed his hands against Alex's and lunged over the table to give him an appreciative kiss. "Thank you, you wonderful sports nut."

…


	29. Part 29.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter; Robbie drops the girls off at the school, where they meet up with a girl with whom Trixie is smitten :).
> 
> ...

On the Monday that Glanni was finally eligible for release from the hospital, Ella and Trixie went to school. It was the first day of summer, but the two girls knew their father's oddly happy behaviour had nothing to do with the heat. 

He woke them up with savoury pancakes and a giant grin, and drove them to school singing a sappy love song under his breath. Despite the fact that Trixie made a choking gesture with a finger in her mouth towards her sister, she was truly happy that her father had found someone who made him want to sing. She didn't remember the last time her father had sung, except for in conjunction to whenever he saw "Mr. Sportacus". 

Sportacus seemed equally happy as he opened the car door for the girls and then proceeded to lean in the open passenger window to speak to Robbie. Ella and Trixie rushed away from the car before they could catch what kind of things the two men were bubbling to each other. 

"Probably some lovey-dovey crap," mumbled Trixie, even though that certain word had been banned from her mouth by Robbie. 

Ella only giggled, and nodded in agreement as she skipped over to the playground to wait for the bell. "Yeah, but aren't you happy for him? He's finally not miserable anymore."

"But did it have to be Mr. Sportacus?" Trixie complained. 

Ella frowned, resting her backpack against a brick wall. "What do you mean? I think he's ok." 

"That's not what I meant. I like him plenty. But like, between the two of them, at home and school, we're never going to hear the end of it. And if they get married..." 

Ella made a face. "Gross." 

"Exactly. We'll never escape it." 

Ella frowned in thought. "But they won't get married, will they? Not so soon." 

Trixie offered a simple shrug in return. "I dunno."

At that moment, a friend of theirs, Stephanie Meanswell, rushed over to the two girls, smiling widely like she always did. Trixie pretended to be annoyed by her, but Ella really was. Stephanie was exactly like Sportacus, and she was his star pupil. She, like Ella, danced competitively, and though Ella was skilled in ballet, Stephanie was a jack of all trades. Ella's face reddened in anger just at the sight of her - she could also do tap, hip hop, jazz and all others that existed. Of course, Stephanie remained blissfully unaware of any negative sentiments Ella held for her. She was always thinking the best of people, and it was infuriating. 

Trixie, on the other hand, demonstrated a casual indifference towards Stephanie, though Ella knew she really admired the other girl quite a lot. Trixie was mischievous, and it came about most when she was around Stephanie. She always seemed to crave the attention of the other girl, but then whenever this was pointed out, Trixie would become cold and distant, and ignored Stephanie as if to prove a point. It was all very confusing to Ella. All she knew was that she quietly hated Stephanie, and she was allowed to. 

Stephanie's pearly white teeth blinded Ella and only served to make her more angry. "Stephanie," she nodded hard. 

Stephanie, ever oblivious, turned her blinding smile to Ella. "Hi, Ella!"   
Then she looked at Trixie. "Hello, Trixie!" 

Trixie worked carefully to keep a careless expression on her face, but her heart was racing fast, the way it tended to do around Stephanie. "Hi, Pinky," 

Stephanie looked down at her clothes and laughed. "Hey, that's a good one!"   
Her clothes, expensive and fresh, were annoyingly pink. The colour made Ella feel as if her eyes were bleeding. 

She watched as her sister's cheeks went a dark shade of red. "Yeah, I guess," she mumbled, fingering her backpack straps. 

Her elder sister rolled her eyes and glanced backwards at the place along the sidewalk where her father's car had parked. She wasn't surprised to find that it was still there, and Sportacus was still leaning far inside the window, his blue uniform sticking out and her father's black hair, gelled back, visible from where she was standing. 

The bell suddenly ringing was a welcome distraction, and had Ella racing inside the school faster than she'd ever gone before. 

...


	30. Part 30.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glanni gets out of hospital. Pretty much Glannithro fluff ft. a badass nurse.  
> ...

Glanni waved dismissively at the hands that were offered to him as he hoisted himself off the hospital bed, landing with a catlike grace on the dusty hospital floor. Íþróttaálfurinn beside him chuckled appreciatively. "Impressive. How many stitches do you think you've broken?" 

"Shut up," snarled Glanni, pushing at him and losing his balance. Íþró quickly swooped in and had his arms around the other man's waist before he fell. He didn't miss the way doing this brought a bright pink colour to Glanni's cheeks, but he shook it off quickly. 

"Falling for me, are we, Glæpur?" Íþró snickered. Glanni frowned childishly but tugged him down for a kiss before Íþró let him go, smiling the whole time. 

As Glanni took out his phone to call Robbie in order to get picked up from the hospital, he felt a certain reluctance to leave the place. It was as if he was leaving the place that had brought he and Íþró together. But he knew he had to leave, or else risk getting caught. He knew that if there were people still out there who wanted to kill him, they'd find him. He sighed, dialed the number. 

"Hey," Robbie said, picking it up on the fourth ring. "Why didn't you just text? I thought we agreed we would just text from now on." 

"Where are you?" Glanni cut him off. 

"Uh, I just finished up at the school. Do you need me to pick you up? This is your last day, right?" 

Glanni caught himself admiring Íþró, who was flexing his muscles boredly, and smiled. "Yeah."

"Okay." said his brother. "Be there in about twenty minutes." 

…

"How do you feel?" 

Glanni turned to see Íþró looking in concern back at him. His arms were extended slightly, and Glanni realized he thought he needed to help him walk. "I can walk," Glanni reassured him. He patted his upper abdomen with a light smirk. "This thing is made of fucking steel. It can literally withstand anything. Don't worry." 

Íþró frowned. "Sure." 

The nurse entered the room then, holding in her one hand a medical bag, as the other steered a metal wheelchair. Glanni eyed the chair warily. 

"Mr. Rotten?" she asked, with a too-friendly smile. "And…"   
She switched her gaze over to Íþró.

"Ah, Íþróttaálfurinn. I'm visiting." said Íþró, nodding. He almost put out a hand before he noticed her hands were full. 

The nurse nodded back. "Great! Well, looks like your time here with us is up, Mr. Rotten."  
She beamed, looking more ecstatic than disappointed. Glanni glanced at her with disdain; she must be new. 

"So sad," he muttered.

"Yes. Anyway, so you'll just be needing some pain medicine,"   
She handed over the white bag, and Íþró took it before Glanni could reach for it.   
"You'll need to give him doses of that every three hours, for two days. Sound ok?" the nurse continued. 

"Yes, yes." answered Íþró, pointedly ignoring the way Glanni was scowling at him for the embarrassment. 

Next, the nurse placed a hand on the wheelchair. "Now, we strongly advise you to wheel out, and not walk out," she told Glanni. "Walking in the hospital, with four walls surrounding you, is much different from the road, where nothing will catch you if you fall. You may think you're alright, but you're really not. Trust me on this. I don't care if you're the baddest bitch on the street, I cannot have you back in here. You understand?" 

At this, Glanni instinctively straightened. "Sure." 

Íþró smirked. "Thanks, Nurse," he said, wrapping an arm around Glanni's shoulders in order to help him into the chair. 

The nurse narrowed her eyes. "Do not let me see you in here again for six months." 

Once she had left, Glanni tightened his grip on Íþró's jacket and then let go, hoisting himself into the chair. "She was cool, but fucking psycho. Let's get out of here." 

Íþró nodded, and held onto the handlebars of the wheelchair. "Agreed. Let's go. Your brother's probably waiting outside the hospital." 

...


	31. Part 31.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soo... Sportarobbie fluff plus a new PTA meeting and new characters! Well not really new, but new to the story :) enjoy!

Robbie looked down at his phone as it chimed with a text while he was driving himself, Íþró, and Glanni home from the hospital. 

"Who's that?" asked Íþró, curious. 

"None of your business," grumbled Robbie, "but for your information, it was your brother."   
He looked into the rearview and made eye contact with Glanni. "Glann, can you stay at home by yourself? I've got to stay longer at the school." 

"PTA meeting?" said Glanni. "Say no more. In fact,"   
He looked slyly over at Íþró, who sat next to him. "Íþró can keep me company." 

Robbie rolled his eyes as Íþró blushed a dark red and chuckled flirtatiously. "Oh, goodness- can you guys please just not have my house ruined when I get home? Is that too much to ask? Do what you want, but do it in Glanni's room. And I mean NOT anywhere else." 

Glanni agreed, his hand curved overtop of Íþró's twitching knee and that sly grin still on his face. 

…

Once Glanni and Íþró had been dropped off at home, Robbie raced to the school. It was already five minutes since the kids had been dismissed for home at LazyTown Elementary, which meant the PTA meeting was about to begin. 

It took another five minutes to get to the school, run and leap inside. The office was spotted with parent and kids when Robbie got inside it, including Mr. Moneybags and his son Stingy, Mrs. Lollipop and her son Ziggy, and the little pink girl, Stephanie with her Uncle Milford. Robbie raced over to his two kids, who had managed not to forget the meeting when their dad had. Ella and Trixie sat on a bench in the corner of the office, backpacks slung onto the floor underneath them and looking, as Glanni would have put it, "Bored as fuck."

"Oh, my goodness, girls, I'm so sorry," he blurted as he knelt to their level, and their matching blue-eyed gazes met his. "I totally forgot there was a meeting." 

Trixie shrugged. "Whatever, Dad." 

Ella smiled shyly. "It's okay, Pabbí. We were ok here waiting. Trixie's just acting weird because she's in love with-"

At that moment, Trixie clamped her hand across her sister's mouth in alarm. "Shut up!" she growled. 

Robbie shook his head fondly, just as the Principal called for the meeting to start. He left the girls to their own devices as he crept over to the small circle of chairs where the parents usually sat, and landed a seat beside Alex, who beamed at him. "Hey," he whispered. "If you hadn't texted me, I wouldn't have come. I totally forgot it was today."

Alex leaned over to kiss him tenderly on the cheek. "I'm glad you're here," he said. "Today there's a new parent joining the council." 

Robbie frowned. "Do we have room for that?" 

As Alex started to shake his head, the Principal began talking. "Hello again, parents of the PTA," she started. Her hands were clasped together; she meant business, as usual. "Today, before we begin this PTA meeting, I'd like to introduce a new parent. She and her son Peter just moved to LazyTown from a neighbouring city, and he will be entering the fourth grade this year. Please give Mrs. Comp and her son a warm welcome." 

Robbie leaned slightly to the side to see better, as all the other parents were doing, and managed to spot a meek-looking woman with dark hair tied into several braids running down her shoulder. She smiled in the shy way that Ella smiled, and placed a hand on the shoulder of a small boy standing next to her. His hair was an orange colour, and stuck up like french fries on his head. 

"Hello," said the mother softly. "My name is Belinda, and this is my son, Peter. Although, he prefers to be called --" 

"Pixel," said the boy quickly. "It's Pixel, mom." 

There was a cluster of laughs around the circle of parents, while the kids smiled kindly over at Pixel and his mother. Robbie caught Trixie's expression of contempt at the laughter and Ella's frown of confusion, and willed them to drop whatever they were thinking. Both hated it when the attention was drawn from them, particularly when the attention was good attention. This was perhaps the only thing Robbie couldn't stand about his children. In this way, they were exactly like their mother. 

He shook his head and turned back to the mother and son, and to Alex, who was saying something. "What?" he murmured. "Speak up, I didn't hear you." 

"Aren't they just lovely?" asked Alex, smiling. 

A sudden feeling of jealousness came over Robbie at the way his boyfriend was staring at the two, making him feel unpleasant. "Sure," he muttered, contempt replacing his soft admiration. 

Alex caught his mood change straightaway. "Is something wrong, Robbie?" he asked. His gaze was on Robbie now, and no one else. "You can tell me." 

"... Yeah, I guess it's kind of ridiculous," surrendered Robbie sheepishly. He now realized how stupid he was acting; Sportacus was gay. Not an ounce of him was attracted to this woman. Robbie was being silly. "I just thought, well, you were staring at the lady and- I mean,"   
His cheeks burned with embarrassment. "I thought you maybe liked her, or something." 

Alex looked sideways at him for a few seconds before gently rubbing his boyfriend's back. "No, it's not ridiculous at all," he replied. "In fact, I don't blame you at all."

"You what?"   
Robbie was somewhat appalled, but very relieved. 

"Yes, of course,"   
Alex was nodding. "I still remember you saying your wife ran off with another man, and I'll bet you will never forget that. But neither will I. Robbie, if I commit to being with someone, especially you, then I will never jeopardise it. Never. I promise."

Robbie's shock gave way to a happy grin that displayed crooked but white teeth, and that was all the thanks Alex would ever need. 

"I love you," said Robbie then, unironically. 

And he turned back to the mother and son before Alex could react, smiling broadly. 

Well, two could play at that game.

... 

The rest of the meeting was boring, parents raising concerns about washrooms and a lack of soap, the milk program, the snack program... Robbie began to realize that once the biggest issue was resolved, the smaller issues contained no real problems. It was like they were simply raising points for the purpose of raising points. 

Robbie nearly fell asleep. 

By four, when the meeting ended, Robbie felt about ready to fall onto his bed and sleep for a million years. He just hoped Glanni and Íþró hadn't completely destroyed the house, or killed each other and left a giant crime scene. He sighed, getting up from his chair and dusting off his hands, getting ready to grab his children and slip away into the night. 

Alex stopped him with a gentle hand on his upper arm just as the tired father was waking his two sleepy daughters up. 

Robbie looked at him with somewhat smeared makeup from where his sleeve had tried to wipe at his eyes. "I'm tired, Sportaflop. Make it good." he snapped, channelling Glanni. 

Alex smiled. "Alright. I'll make it quick, too."   
He pulled Robbie close to his by the shirt collar and planted his lips firmly on the other mans' for a few seconds, or else long enough to stun him.   
Once he let go, he smiled slyly. "Goodnight. I love you, too." 

Robbie rubbed at his lip, too shocked to do anything but stare after the man who had kissed him and was now bouncing away. "Touché," he murmured, and smiled, getting back to work. He felt a new burst of energy in his system, that had nothing to do with the coffee he had drunk earlier. 

...


	32. Part 32.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bunch of Glannithro fluff, I love them so much - pretty much just a chapter full of fluff, you have been warned. If you haven't read the last chapter recently, do that, as this chapter is kind of a filler, like meanwhile... :) enjoy

Two hours earlier...

Robbie gave a half-hearted wave to his brother and Íþró as he sped away in his car, leaving the two on the front porch of the Victorian house in which he lived. Once his car was safely out of sight, Glanni turned to the muscled man and gave a sly wink before walking stutteringly into the house. Íþró followed soon after, seemingly stunned.

Glanni sat with difficulty on a chair in the kitchen, close to the entrance to the house, but his lips quirked instinctively at the thought of being alone with Íþró.

"Glæpur," the man himself breathed, rushing into the kitchen after him. His gaze fell on Glanni. He found himself unable to resist the urge to smile at Glanni's smirk. "What's so funny?"

Glanni rose from the chair, trying his hardest not to wobble. "You," he said simply, coming even closer to Íþró until they were inches apart and could feel each other's breath on their faces. When Glanni went in for a passionate kiss, Íþró did nothing to stop him. His hands merely went to the other man's hips to steady him so he wouldn't fall.

After a few seconds, Glanni pulled back, and Íþró instinctively lifted him off his feet in a bridal style. Glanni's chuckle of mirth filled Íþró's heart with love, and his cheeks with warmth. "Let's go to my room," he smirked. "Robbie said not to wreck the house, I'm sure that had nothing to do with my own room."

Íþró was only happy to oblige. "Oh, Glæpur, you never cease to amaze me."

...

They lay flushed against the sheets afterwards. Glanni surprised Íþró by holding his head and laughing. "That was fucking amazing," he said, his hands still on his temples.

Íþró turned to face him. "Like a second attempt at breakup sex?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess," responded Glanni with a sweet smile on his face. "Your innocent's really gone for good, isn't it?"

"It left the moment I met you," said Íþró, which admittedly made Glanni's stomach lurch a little, but then the other man added, "If it had to be anyone, I'm glad it was you."

Glanni felt this was a line from a cheesy rom-com, but he was touched. "I can't believe - this." he said aloud.

Íþró frowned. Glanni could practically feel it. "What? What can't you believe?"   
He moved closer to the other man and pressed his lips to Glanni's for a brief second, making the villain's cheeks heat up as they never had before. "That we're together?"

Glanni sighed a little more dreamily than he would have wanted. He looked at Íþró and nodded. "Yes, and no. I can't believe how domestic we are. I can't believe we're here together, after everything. I can't believe that we just had sex, and it actually felt right. I can't believe any of it."

Íþró sat up on the bed in response. Glanni propped himself up on an elbow so as to see him better. He frowned witheringly. "Earth to Íþró? Hello?"

When Íþró turned again, his face was blank, but he crept across the bed and seized Glanni in a thought-shattering kiss and all was forgotten as Glanni clung and kissed back. When Íþró let go, he nodded. "I can't believe it either," he said. "but we did happen. And as long as it's happening, I can do this -"  
He leaned over to kiss his villain again, this time on the shoulder. "as much as I want."

Glanni's skin burned from the kiss and his cheeks flushed with want. He felt a rushing relief combined with satisfaction - Íþró was definitely right. Glanni turned to his new, and he supposed, old lover and smirked, placing his hands on Íþró's jaw. "Right," he replied and laughed.

...

Robbie turned around to the back seat after the ride home from school to find Trixie and Ella passed out in their seats. He grinned - they looked as adorable as the day they were born.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, then carefully picked up Trixie and woke Ella. He ascended the porch steps with his daughters a few moments later and fished out his house key from his jacket.

Shifting Trixie to a better place on his shoulder, Robbie made his way into the house with Ella. He avoided calling out to Glanni so as not to disturb her much-needed sleep. So he just shuffled quietly down the hallway until he stopped at Trixie and Ella's shared room, depositing his child on her bed. She hung awkwardly off of it, but still, Robbie had to hold back the tears. "Goodnight, little one," he whispered and kissed her on the forehead.

After that, he tucked in and kissed Ella too before bidding his still-awake eldest daughter goodnight also, and made his way back out to the kitchen.

Glanni was perched on a barstool at the counter when Robbie came back, with Íþró at his shoulders. The two were displaying quite a lot of PDA, and Glanni's little titters of laughter annoyed Robbie.

"Look, if you're going to be all mushy like that, go to a motel or something," Robbie retched, but he was smiling just slightly.

Glanni grinned. "How did the meeting go?" he asked, swatting away Íþró's wandering hands.

Robbie rubbed his neck. "Fine," he said.

"And my brother?" Íþró asked as he paused in his ministrations.

"He was there, too, as always."

"Good."   
Íþró smiled at Robbie. "I should return home, he'll be worried."

Glanni scowled and pulled him back down to his own neck by the shirt collar. "What is he, your wife? Stay with me, Íþróttaálfuck."

Íþró chuckled at the nickname. There was always something new with Glanni Glæpur.   
He leaned in and didn't hesitate in pressing his lips to his villain's, deepening the kiss slightly after a few seconds and then pulling away. "He's my brother. You're my wife," he said, smiling.

"Damn right," murmured Glanni.

Robbie rolled his eyes. "Alright, shouldn't you be leaving, Íþró? As in, leaving the house, not sticking around? Unless there's a wedding you two want to tell me about."

Glanni glared at his brother, but Íþró nodded. Taking Glanni's hand, he took the pale skin in between his lips, kissing it tenderly. He looked back up after he was done, locked eyes with Glanni. "Glæpur," he offered simply.

Glanni caught his gaze with flushed cheeks. "Íþró."

Robbie, rolling his eyes so hard they might have popped out of his head, then practically pushed the muscled man towards the front door.

...


	33. Part 33.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie forgets something important. Short chapter... Chapter 34 will be longer!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe how big this has gotten! That said, I'm going to start winding it down. Perhaps a couple more chapters before the end! Thanks to all for being fans !

In the midst of everything that had recently happened within the Glaepur family, Robbie had forgotten all about the end of school and Ella's upcoming dance recital. A week before the proceedings, he remembered again.

It was a good thing that Ella had such a knack for remembering everything.

They had been quietly eating dinner on one of the last days of school when she had piped up, out of nowhere, "So you're still coming to my recital, right?"

Robbie had frozen, fork halfway to his mouth, peas jittering atop the metal grate of the utensil along with his hand, shaking from nerves. "Your... Recital? Dance recital?" he'd asked, almost too scared to hear the answer.

Ella had raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you already forget? You made my outfit and everything, Pabbí. It's on the 30th, remember?"

Robbie had stared at his daughter for a few seconds more before eating the peas off his spoon. "That one your mother couldn't make it to?"

Ella seemed to scowl. "I hate her."   
She scrunched up her nose so that it bunched and ruffled the way it did when she was disgusted. "She never comes to anything. But that's the one."

Robbie didn't try to quell her resentment. He, himself loathed his ex-wife for not only never keeping up with her daughters, but also not even bothering to try and contact the two girls to see how they were doing anymore. Robbie could imagine the damage that was doing to Ella.

"I don't blame you," he said.

Ella's relieved grin made him smile too, and he clapped his hands together. The 30th was two days away. Time to start preparing.

...


	34. Part 34.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie gets a date to Ella's recital, and background characters are described. :)

On the 29th, Robbie had a PTA meeting. Which he figured was perfect, as he was planning to ask Alex something and didn't want to have to arrange a date to do it.

While the girls were at school, he stayed at the house and worked on a few commissions for outfits he'd received earlier, thinking all the while about Ella's recital. Glanni was out at some 24-hour club with Íþróttaálfurinn doing heaven knows what, which meant they wouldn't be home until much later (he needed to find that man a fucking job), and gave Robbie time to think. He loved his family, but much preferred these solitary moments, when he could just think by himself without distraction.

Robbie met the girls outside the school and followed them inside, to the main office, where they plopped down on a couch with Stephanie Meanswell. She was the mayor's niece, and though Robbie had expected her to be a snotty child she was actually quite nice. Trixie liked her, in any case, Robbie could tell. His daughter's cheeks lit up red every time she even got near. He grinned. His little girl had a bad crush.

But there were more important things to think about at the moment. So he trudged over to Alex and sat next to him.

"Hey," he murmured.

"Hi."   
Alex was smiling. "How are you doing?"

Robbie shrugged. "Apart from the fact that I completely forgot about Ella's recital in two days, just peachy."

Alex's hands went to his mouth in undisguised shock. "Oh, dear."

"I have everything ready for it, that's not the problem." continued Robbie. "I just feel crappy for forgetting; that's what her mama always did. And also, I don't have anyone to go with."  
He raised his eyebrows at the gym teacher, his best approximation to seduction.

"Oh," Alex chuckled. "You need a plus-one. So that's all I'm good for?"

Robbie shoved him. "Watch it, or you won't get to come home with me afterward."   
He winked, changing gears with a pat to Alex's knee. "Who says our brothers are the only ones to have fun?"

Alex went a deep shade of red. The implication was not lost on him. "Yes," he said breathlessly. "Of course, I'll be your plus-one. Of course. Just promise me something."

Robbie's hand slipped up Alex's thigh, which was starting to jiggle up and down restlessly.   
"What?" he asked in a whisper.

"Promise you'll introduce me as something other than your 'plus-one'."

"No problem," replied Robbie, smirking. "You'll be my husband."

Alex's face was pretty much blood-red now. But the meeting was starting to begin.

"Hello, everyone," announced the principal as she stepped up to the podium in the center of the group of people. "I'm so glad all of our parents could make it, as this is our last meeting of the school year."   
She pouted, but there were quite a few cheers that rang out amongst the group. Robbie suspected one of the cheerers was none other than Trixie.   
But he smiled. She was definitely his daughter.

"Alright, so there are quite a few improvements to the school we need to speak about," went on the principal. "First off, it's come to our attention that there are no locks on the public washroom stalls. We will try to..."   
Robbie tuned out immediately. He usually did during these bits, and found just looking around helped immensely. Lately, he had also come to study the other parents.

First was Mayor Meanswell, Stephanie's uncle. The mayor and Stephanie had the same big, brown eyes, but apart from this, there was no other similarity between the two besides their combined annoying cheerfulness. Milford, in contrast to his energetic niece, often panted in chasing after her and always had a sheen of sweat lingering on his brow. Robbie felt somewhat bad for the poor man, and he found himself wondering where on earth Stephanie's parents were.

Then there was Mrs. Comp - Belinda - and her son Peter - er - Pixel. Pixel was a quiet enough boy, he didn't protest or groan or do any annoying things while these meetings were going on. He never seemed to go and play with the other kids, either, preferring to stick close to his mother and play on his Nintendo thing. Robbie wished sometimes Ella and Trixie were more like that. It would be so much easier to keep an eye on them that way. 

Sitting next to Mrs. Comp was Henrietta Lollipop - odd name when Robbie thought about it. He just hoped nobody had ever exclaimed, "Oh, Henrietta!", or she'd just be a chocolate bar with a candy last name. Belinda and Henrietta had become fast friends, as Robbie had noticed. The first day Belinda and Pixel had come to a PTA meeting, he'd seen the younger mum Henrietta reach up and take Belinda's hand, and then Belinda had sat next to her. Henrietta's son Ziggy, the youngest of the kids, had shown kindness to Pixel also. Now he could be seen often peeking over Pixel's shoulder at the Nintendo screen, sucking on a lollipop. 

Mr. Moneybags and his son Stingy (the most ironic of names) were next. Stingy was a chip off the old block - he always wore an identical expression to his father, who always looked as if he were tasting a lemon or smelling something hideously foul. Robbie supposed the kid didn't know any better, he was only seven, after all. But from what Ella and Trixie told him - that he never shared the slide on the playground and always claimed anything and everything as his even if it wasn't - Robbie had become pretty annoyed with the little fellow too.

There were six other parents besides the four, but Robbie got the feeling these four parents were running the show. They were the ones who contributed the most to the meetings and always showed up, their kids trailing behind helplessly. It had taken him up until just recently to realize he was one of those parents, too. 

Robbie returned his attention to the front, where the Principal was now talking about air conditioning in the school. 

"We hope that we will be able to resolve all these issues before the summer is over," she was saying, "so all your children will be able to have a good school experience with both academics and environment." 

Robbie nodded. He raised his hand impulsively. "Principal Morris, that includes the gym rules, right?" 

"Yes, Mr. Rotten," Principal Morris agreed. "As we speak, the board is putting our new rules into motion. Gym class will be a lot tamer when we come back in September, I promise you."

At this, Alex winced apologetically. "Sorry," 

All the parents laughed, including Robbie. He rubbed his boyfriend's hand and felt more secure than he had in a long time.

...


	35. Part 35.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of Ella's recital is here! Sportarobbie fluff while they decide what to wear, and Glannithro fluff as they take the girls out to the shops; Ella sees a dress she really likes. Enjoy :)

The day of the thirtieth finally came. It was a Saturday, the day after the last PTA meeting of the school year. Robbie shook as he anticipated the recital. He was nervous enough for the whole family - Ella, the one who was actually performing, didn't seem nervous at all. Then again, she never was. She was Robbie's cool-headed, down-to-earth kid when he was out of his wits mad. 

Glanni, who was going out to some shops nearby with Íþró (he swore he wouldn't steal anything, claiming the pain killers were still kicking in) agreed to take the girls off his brother's hands for a few hours while he figured out what to wear and what to bring to the recital in terms of snacks for Trixie and the camera, plus a few more things he probably wouldn't use while he was there. 

But midway through being alone by himself that day, it occured to Robbie that he needed help. He didn't hesitate to use his phone.

... 

Alex arrived at his house about five minutes later. In fact, Robbie had barely sat back down after the phone call before the door bell rang. He raced to it and pulled it open, only to be tackled into a bear hug by his eager boyfriend. 

Robbie was laughing when he felt Alex's leather jacket envelope him. He breathed in and made a noise of contentment. "Mmm. You got here fast." 

Alex reached up to twiddle a loose piece of hair near Robbie's ear, wading in his long arms but smiling nonetheless. "I tried to get here a lot sooner, but there was a little bit of traffic." he said, and inhaled. "You smell so good, like berries." 

Robbie smiled, pulling away. He leaned downwards to kiss the gym teacher tenderly. "Thanks."

Alex's eyes had fluttered shut as he kissed back. Robbie reluctantly drew away again, flushed. "I think if we kept that up, we would never get out of the house." he murmured. 

Alex smiled. "Mm. Maybe tonight." 

"R-right."  
Robbie coughed nervously. He cleared his throat. 

"So what did you need?" asked Alex, his smile stretching into a delighted smirk. 

Robbie leaned over and touched Alex's cheek. He stroked at the skin like he was starved of it. "Mostly just company. But I also was hoping you would help me get dressed."

"I'm happy to oblige." 

With that said, Alex kissed Robbie's hand before gently pulling it into his own and leading Robbie up to the bedroom. 

...

"What are you thinking of wearing?" Robbie asked Alex, sitting on the bed and sinking into it. 

Alex walked to the wardrobe. "I haven't decided yet," he admitted. "I've never been good at these kinds of things." 

"What, kids' recitals?"  
There was a smirk on Robbie's face. "Don't you work at a school?" 

Alex shrugged. His hair fell around his ears with the movement, from its place tucked behind. Dirty blond curls so soft Robbie couldn't help but get up from the bed and touch them. He tucked them back behind Alex's ears, pointed slightly the way Robbie loved. Smiling, Alex continued, "I have a terrible fashion sense." 

"Well, it doesn't have anything to do with fashion sense." murmured Robbie, a hand still buried in his boyfriend's hair. "All you have to do is buy a suit. Do you have a suit?" 

Alex wrinkled his nose. "For a dance recital? They're so stiff. I can't even move in them." 

Robbie laughed. "You're not supposed to be able to do flips in them! They're like heels, I suppose, for men. They're supposed to be uncomfortable." 

Alex gave Robbie a look very similar to a kicked puppy, causing Robbie to chuckle again and kiss him. "It's not that bad, you Sports nut. Come on, let's get dressed." 

...

"Wow, look at that dress," Ella breathed, her face pressed against a store window. Her gaze was firmly on a pink lace dress in the display, with frills on the sleeves and across the sash. It looked just her size. 

Glanni came over and placed a hand on her shoulder as he eyed the dress. "It is gorgeous," he agreed.

"Glanni," Íþró warned. He stood behind the two with Trixie perched atop his shoulder. "Remember what Robbie said." 

"Oh, lighten up, Íþróttaálfuckboy."  
He waved a hand carelessly. "She wants it, don't you, Ella?" 

Ella nodded hard. She knew for a fact that Stephanie had one just like it, with the absence of frills. Not only was it the prettiest dress she had ever seen, it would also be sweet to make the other girl terribly jealous. "Stephanie has one just like it, but it doesn't have frills like this one." she told her uncle. 

Glanni smirked conspiratorially. "Oh, and wouldn't it be fucking awesome if you showed up in this dress, and rubbed it in her stupid face?" 

Ella's smirk mirrored her uncle's and she nodded once more. 

This time, Íþró smacked Glanni's arm. "Watch your mouth, Glæpur." 

Glanni only sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Please. It's not like I haven't sworn in front of them before. You scared of a little swear word, Íþróttaálfraidey-cat?" 

"It's not that," frowned Íþró, pursing his lips. "And you know it. Do you really think you're being a good influence on these girls? What if they end up like you?" 

Glanni laughed. "Don't even say that. You were drooling over me five minutes ago. And what do you mean, 'like me'? You mean a master criminal with a great ass?" 

Ella and Trixie giggled at the banter. It was almost as funny as when Glanni and their father bickered in that childish way of theirs. 

"You mean retired mediocre criminal with a great ass, who still lives with his brother." Íþró corrected, chortling. 

"Well, you still live with your brother, too, big boy."  
Glanni shot back coolly, prancing forward to seize the front of the shorter man's jacket.  
Íþró wisely put Trixie down beside her sister before smiling and smoothing his hands down on either side of Glanni's waist. 

"I guess we do have something in common then." said Íþró. "Neither of us are perfect." 

Glanni gave a low, conceited laugh. "Ha, I don't know about you, babe, but I'm perfect in every way." 

Trixie shifted uncomfortably to the side of the two men, whose faces were now a hair's breadth apart. "Ugh, they're gonna kiss now." 

Ella simply smiled. "But I think I'm getting that dress." 

...

"You look immensely uncomfortable," Robbie noted, rumbling through a laugh. 

His boyfriend stood before him in one of his tuxedos - a blue one - and was tugging at the collar, his face red and sweaty. His foot tapped, rhythmless, against the wooden floorboards. "I am uncomfortable," he moaned. "It's so hot in here. Why isn't there more breathing room?" 

"I don't know,"  
Robbie shrugged. "Maybe you should ask the makers of Calvin Klein suits to make them more breathable." 

Alex frowned childishly. "Maybe I will." 

"So are you going to be wearing that one, or not?" asked Robbie. 

After a couple of seconds, Alex sighed. "Yes," he said, defeated. "I suppose I will have to get used to it." 

"You are a teacher, after all." Robbie reminded him. "There are award ceremonies, and all that."  
He stood up from the bed and crossed over to his pouting boyfriend. "You are lucky you're cute."

"What are you wearing to the ceremony?" 

"Well, I'm glad you asked!"  
Robbie flourished a hand and disappeared inside the closet, coming back out in an instant with three different tuxes on coat hangers. He laid them all out on the bed side-by-side.  
Alex peered over. There was a black, long suit with cotton fabric and big brown buttons, and beside that was a navy blue one with smaller, beige buttons. The last was a much lighter, beige suit with frills. Alex grimaced, realizing he hated all of them. 

"What do you think?" Robbie asked, looking at him expectantly. 

"Uhhh..."  
The teacher looked down at the three options again. "Um, well, I like all of them." 

Robbie crossed his arms. "Alexander. I have two kids. I can tell when someone is lying to me."  
He raised a stenciled eyebrow. 

Alex chuckled nervously. "Well, in that case, I don't like any of them." 

"Oh. So that's why you lied." 

"Oh, but why do we have to wear these horrible suits anyway?" implored Alex desperately. "They feel awful, and they're scratchy and you can't move in them - why should we have to wear something that makes us feel like this?"  
He pulled off his vest and tugged off the undershirt then, the pants going next into the small pile on Robbie's bed. 

Robbie was gazing at him warily. "You're suggesting we wear sweats to the recital?" 

"No... But something hopefully a lot more comfortable. I don't think the kids would appreciate it if we wore something that we hate. In my opinion, it ruins the things we love, which is them. It makes us snappy and mean, and then we take it out on them."  
Alex looked up into Robbie's face. "Believe me. I don't want to ruin this for Ella, or for any of the other kids."

At this point, Robbie was chuckling and shaking his head in disbelief. "It's a wonder how you can whine about something one minute and then turn it into such a convincing speech." he was saying. "Okay, you have a point. We won't wear tuxes. But then, what will we wear?" 

Alex smiled. "I think I have an idea." 

...


	36. Part 36.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I just couldn't wait to post this part! 
> 
> Summary: Ella shows her father the brand new dress she got, and Glanni shows off his outfit for the recital. Spoilers: both of their outfits are gorgeous

"Dad, we're home!" yelled Trixie as her uncles shut the front door behind them and walked inside the Victorian house. Ella held a large bag, containing the dress she had wanted, behind her back - at Glanni's orders. That was the only thing Íþró had backed him up on since buying the gown. Now the two men shepherded the kids into the living room and prepared to go upstairs to find their brothers. 

Before Glanni and Íþró reached Robbie's bedroom door, however, it was opened by Alex and Robbie. 

"Hey, baby bro," greeted Glanni. He nodded to Alex. "Alex." 

"Are we alright to start getting ready for the recital?" asked Íþró tentatively. "My clothes are back at home." 

"Oh! Yes, yes. Let's go." Alex chirped. He leaned over to kiss Robbie's cheek before darting over to his older brother, promising he'd see Robbie at the recital. 

"You get a kiss and I get nothing?" Glanni grumbled. "Hmph. Men." 

Nobody could foretell Íþró subsequently running back over to Glanni and whipping him into a passionate kiss before leaving yet again with a casual wave to Robbie, and nobody was more surprised and flustered than Glanni when it happened. After the front door shut again, Robbie smirked. "Guess he heard you." 

"Guess - guess he did," panted Glanni, flushed. Clearing his throat, he straightened up again and regained his composure. "So, what went on while we were out?" he implored. 

Robbie rolled his eyes. "Nothing. Honestly, you and your dirty mind. He just helped me pick out an outfit." 

"So what, you're going in matching sweat suits?" 

"Well..." 

Glanni's jaw dropped. "What - you are?!"

"No, not sweats." Robbie said slowly. "I was going to go in - this."   
He gestured downward at himself. 

Glanni followed his gaze and have his outfit the once-over. "Is this a fucking joke? Because it's not very funny." 

"Do I look like I'm laughing?" 

"You're joking, right? Don't you want to look good at all? Show off that bod? In this -"   
He flourished, "- you look like you've just been widowed and you couldn't be bothered." 

Robbie frowned down at his ensemble - a practical, three quarter-length maroon sweater and beige professor pants with loafers - and dusted off the pants. "I think it looks good."

Glanni sighed. "Robbieeee... Weren't you going to wear a suit or something?" 

"Do you have any idea how uncomfortable those are?" shot back Robbie. "They're like heels for men. You can't even move in them!"

"Uh, I think the twenty-thousand Calvin Klein suits in your closet fucking disagree." pointed out Glanni. 

Robbie shrugged. 

"Let me guess," said his brother suddenly, "Alex tried one on and hated it. Made you change your mind."

Robbie nodded weakly. " But he did have a good point," he said. "He said we should wear something comfortable to the recital, so we can be there for our kids. Don't you think uncomfortable things don't do anything for us? They just make us feel awful! And then we take it out on the kids, which make them think it's their faults, and so on. Don't you think so?" 

Glanni shook his head. "How the fuck did that just make sense to me?" he murmured, and subsequently nodded. "You've got a point there. I wasn't going to wear a suit anyway, but I'm sure as hell not going to wear one now."

...

Glanni took a total of an hour and a half to get ready, which was spent locked in the bathroom. 

The girls and Robbie, for whom it had taken twenty minutes each to get ready, waited impatiently in the living room and chatted about their day.

"So did you two have fun with your uncle and Íþró?" asked Robbie, tapping on the arm of the couch with rapid fingers. 

Trixie didn't look up from her place on the carpet, where she was running a toy car back and forth across the bumpy surface. "Yeah. They took us to some shops."

"Oh?"   
Robbie looked over at Ella. "Did you end up getting anything? Nothing too expensive, I hope." 

Ella smiled innocently. "Yes. Uncle Glanni got me a dress I wanted." 

"He didn't steal it, did he?" 

"He threatened the cashier for a lower price, but that's it." Trixie peeped. 

Robbie frowned. "And whose money did he use?" 

"Yours." replied Ella evenly. 

"Of course," her father sighed. "Well, if he used my money, I want to make sure I got what I paid for. May I see the dress?" 

Ella jumped up excitedly, bouncing on her toes. She rushed over to the bag, which she had propped inconspicuously against the settee, and swiftly pulled the dress out.   
"See! Isn't it great?" 

Robbie looked over the dress. "Hmm. It's certainly frilly." 

"Isn't it?" Ella laughed. She twirled it around, marveling at how the sparkles caught the light streaming in through the windows. "It's almost the best dress ever!"

"What's the best dress ever?" asked Trixie. 

"The one Pabbí made for my recital," said Ella, as if it was obvious. 

Robbie smiled in pride. "Well, I suppose I could make some changes to this one for you as well." 

...

Glanni checked himself in the mirror one last time before walking out of the bedroom and starting down the stairs. He liked the outfit he had chosen, he hoped Robbie and the kids did, too. In his experience, most times Robbie would deem his outfits "too innapropriate for human eyes" which he knew meant whoreish. This one, Glanni made sure, was different. 

He knew it was different because the moment he stepped into the living room, Robbie and the kids turned to him and Robbie didn't have that disgusted look he usually wore on his face. Instead, he was smiling. 

"You don't look like something left in the trash," his brother said, nodding. 

"You're beautiful, Uncle Glanni!" cried Ella.

"You look pretty awesome." Trixie smirked appreciatively. 

Glanni smiled back, and looked down at his outfit. He had put together a medium-length pale pink dress with a white furry cardigan, a wide-brimmed hat and high black boots completing the look. His makeup was also boldened with pink embellishments to match his ensemble. All in all, he was fucking hot and he knew it. 

"Hmm," he said. "Thank you."  
He turned and faced Ella, placing a hand on her head. "Now let's go dance those bitches' fucking socks off." 

Ella nodded primly and skipped on ahead. She was aiming to win. 

...


	37. Part 37.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Don't worry, we have epilogues! :) Thanks for reading guys !

"Wow, this place is packed!" Trixie marveled as she climbed out of her father's car immediately after they'd parked. When Robbie followed suit, he took in the crowded parking lot and realized his youngest was certainly right. 

"I hope I can find Alex quickly." he murmured. 

Glanni gave a low, awed whistle. "So many people, so many pockets..." 

Robbie elbowed his brother in the shoulder as a warning, causing Glanni to wince through his teeth. "Oh, come on, bro. I won't steal anything. What would I steal? I've already got everything I need,"   
He gestured, flaunting, to his own body, "right here."

Robbie groaned in annoyance. "Don't you have Íþró somewhere to irritate?" he bemoaned. 

"Oh! That's right!"   
Glanni bounced excitedly and clapped his hands. "I'd better go find him, the fucking lunatic. See you guys when the recital starts." 

With that tidbit, Glanni darted away into the building to find the man. Robbie and the girls stared after his dust. 

"Well, he's that buffoon's problem now." Robbie clapped his hands together. "So! Let's go inside, shall we?" 

Trixie and Ella cheered and followed their dad. 

...

The inside of the place was even more packed. Little girls and boys in leotards and other dance outfits ran around chaotically while their parents rushed after them to round them up onstage. Ella took a deep breath in - already her nerves were acting up. Robbie saw her inhale and leaned down to her level, putting his hand under her chin. 

"Hey. You are going to be okay. More than okay." he consoled her. 

Ella looked worried as she stared at him with big eyes. "It's just that there are so many other kids here -" 

"And I'll only be looking at you," said Robbie evenly. "Me and Alex, Glanni, Íþró, Trixie - we are all here for you. Rooting for you."  
He gave her a confident grin. "You're a Glæpur. You're going to be brilliant." 

The nervousness that had pervaded her stomach earlier lightened at her father's words. "Thanks, Pabbí." 

"Go get 'em, my dear," Robbie told her. 

"Yeah, go Ella!" cheered Trixie. 

With a last smile and a backwards glance, Ella raced off toward the stage. 

"Alright, Trix, let's go find your teacher." Robbie leaned down and caught Trixie's small hand with his. 

Trixie nodded sullenly, but just before she was to follow him through the crowds to find Alex, she heard a voice behind her. 

"Hi, Trixie!" 

Trixie's heart rate sped up immediately. It was Stephanie Meanswell!

She whirled around, pivoting on the spot and losing Robbie's hand in the process. Her father looked round at her bemusedly. "Trixie, what's- oh. I see."   
An amused smirk flitted around his mouth. "I'll leave you two alone."

Trixie glared after her father before turning back to the girl in pink. Stephanie was wearing her pink hair in two pink braids, to go with her sparkly pink training outfit and shoes. 

"You - you look really pretty," Trixie found herself blurting. Her cheeks turned red. "Sorry." 

Stephanie was smiling wide. "No, it's okay! And thank you! Are you here with your family?" 

"Yeah. It's Ella's recital. I'm here with my dad, my uncle and my uncle's boyfriend." 

"Cool, I'm dancing too!" said Stephanie excitedly. 

"I noticed."   
Trixie made a weak attempt at a grin. "Good luck." 

Stephanie surprised Trixie then by pulling her into a giant hug. Trixie's nose pressed against the pink girl's shoulder; she could smell strawberry. Closing her eyes blissfully, she hugged back. 

Stephanie pulled away after a couple of seconds, smiling still but with a hint of a blush high in her cheeks. "Thanks! I hope Ella does well too. Well, I'll see you?" 

"Y-yeah."   
A dopey grin was spreading quickly across Trixie's face, and she tugged shyly at her hair.

Stephanie turned away to rush back into the throng of kids, and Trixie wobbled back to her father, in absolute heaven. 

...

Robbie left Trixie alone with that pink girl for her own good - that monster crush needed some sorting out. Plus, he needed to find Alex. And, preferably, his brother and Íþró, too. 

Hopefully, they were all in the same place and he didn't have to navigate through that crowd again. Just thinking about it sent him into throes of nausea. 

But Alex was hard to miss. All Robbie had to do was follow the sound of lecture about sports and fruit, and pretty soon, Robbie was standing beside his boyfriend and a very interested-looking couple on the benefits of regular exercise. Robbie, who wasn't interested at all in that sort of thing, sighed and waited for him to finish. 

The moment Alex saw Robbie, however, his eyes lit up and he smiled. "Hi, Robbie!"   
To the couple, he said, "I will have to catch up with you later. Have a wonderful evening!" 

Robbie shook his head and leaned in for a kiss. "Torturing more people with your health routine?" he asked. 

"Being healthy is very important, Robbie." replied his boyfriend. "That couple in particular wants to get their son used to eating less junk food." 

Robbie snorted. "That sounds awful." 

Alex laughed, and allowed his hands to wander to Robbie's waist. "You look so handsome." he told him, eyes sparkling. 

"So do you," Robbie said. He twirled in Alex's arms so he could drape his arms over the shorter man's shoulders. "I can't believe I was thinking of wearing a suit. This is so much better." 

"I can see that."   
Alex's cheeks were flushed with lust, causing Robbie to shove him away. 

"Hey, keep it in your pants, Sportathirsty."

Alex pulled back, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "Sportathirsty?"

"Paws off until after the recital." clarified Robbie. "And, yes. I thought it had a nice ring to it. You're a sports maniac, and right now you're severely dehydrated. You'll get your water when we get home." 

At that, Alex simply laughed again and settled for a small kiss. "Okay, Robbie." 

...

"Oh, there you are!" Glanni cried, and stole over to his buffoon, seizing his collar in both hands. 

Íþró, who had been quietly sampling some fruit by the stage, barely reacted to this sudden assault. "Where else would I be?" he asked calmly. 

Glanni raised an eyebrow, but dipped to meet Íþró's lips in a passionate kiss. "Ugh, fruit!" he complained upon pulling away. 

His boyfriend shot him an apologetic grin, licking his lips. "At least this way I know you're getting some fruit."

Glanni scoffed. "Sure, pretty boy." 

"Hey."   
Íþró brought their faces close together. "You look amazing." 

"Hm. I know."   
Glanni smirked. "You'd better get a good look now, because we'll be pulling it off tonight, if you know what I mean." 

Íþró cleared his throat as he turned dark red. "We-we'd better go and find our brothers."

...

It had taken a while, but finally the whole family was sat down to watch the recital. Trixie sat on her father's lap, leaning forward to see better, and Alex sat next to Robbie, to the side of Glanni and Íþró. The moment the curtain lifted and they saw Ella in her purple dress, the whole family cheered raucously. 

"Fuck yeah!" yelled Glanni, jumping out of his seat but being held back by Íþró. "That's my niece!" 

Robbie, for his part, clapped loudly and grinned. "Go, Ella!" he and Trixie cheered in unison. 

A small smile graced the girl's features as she stared out at the audience before she and the rest of the kids started dancing. 

And she dominated the stage. 

...


	38. Part 38: Epilogue Part 1.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just in case y'all were wondering what happened to our two favourite couples after the recital - First is Glannithro. Second is Sportarobbie. Enjoy!

On the ride home from the recital, Glanni and Íþró could barely keep their eyes off each other. It was a wonder they were able to control themselves in the car. Once they got home, however, they voted to take Alex's car to a motel for a night away. Alex and Robbie agreed without question. Alex would simply stay with Robbie for the night, which neither of them was protesting. 

Giggling, Glanni rolled into the passenger seat while Íþró slid into the driver's seat and turned on the ignition. He leaned over to give Glanni a kiss before placing his hands back on the wheel. 

"Which motel?" asked Glanni, slightly drunk off his lust. 

Íþró smiled, pulling out of the driveway. "Does it matter?" he said. His eyes were dark; Glanni knew he felt the same way. 

"Just - just go to the closest one," whined Glanni. "Some Holdiay Inn or something." 

"We're in luck," said Íþró presently, "There's one right across from the house." 

Biting his lip in anticipation, Glanni took his seat belt off and gazed through the window at the approaching motel. "Perfect." 

...

The time it took for Íþró to check in was almost unbearably long for Glanni. By the time he had received a key from the front desk, Glanni's patience was just about running out. He took the muscled man's hand and pulled him with him towards the rooms, making Íþró chuckle. "Room 201," he said, hopeless to stop the force that was Glanni. 

Once they had stopped in front of the room, Glanni stared in Íþró's eyes and pinned him back against the door. "You're mine now, Íþróttaálfucker." he whispered. 

Íþró leaned in, crashing their lips together and picking Glanni up around his hips in one swift movement. "Not before I claim you first, Glæpur." 

"Just fucking try it."  
Glanni grinned, his face lit up only by the lights illuminating the hallway.  

Íþró reached for the door and swiftly unlocked it. He kept one hand against Glanni's back as he lifted them inside the room and over to the double bed in the center of the room. Glanni hit the bed and let out a sigh, pulling Íþró closer, drawing their lips together again as they began to strip each other. 

This wasn't shaping up to be a bad life. 

...


	39. Part 39: Epilogue Part 2, Final Part.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sportarobbie fluff!

Trixie yawned loudly as soon as she and the others entered the house, slumping in her father's arms. She had stayed awake the whole ride home, but now she and Ella were struggling keep that way.

Glanni and Íþró had crept away as soon as the car was put in park. Robbie wasn't complaining; whatever kept them occupied the longest. He had even given Glanni $100 before he left for the motel they'd inevitably drive to for the night. 

Now Robbie shifted Trixie to a comfortable position in his arms so as to carry her to the girls' room and put them to bed as fast as possible. He didn't want any interruptions during his and Alex's first night together. He hoped the girls had gotten some semblance of a hint earlier that day. 

It took thirty seconds for Robbie to tuck Trixie and Ella in that night - his fastest time since they were toddlers and he'd still had a wife to sleep with. Afterwards he bounded back down the steps and over to Alex, who was waiting by the stove, eating a carrot.  

"Where did you get that?" Robbie laughed, feeling a smile spread across his face as he made his way over to his boyfriend. "I've never bought a carrot in my life." 

Alex shrugged. "I always keep something healthy with me," he said nonchalantly. He shook his carrot at Robbie. "If I'm going to spend more time here, you are going to have to buy more healthy foods." 

"Who said you were going to spend more time here?" smirked Robbie. He pulled the half-eaten carrot away from Alex, revelled in the way he blushed when he leaned in close. "Maybe we'll decide that after tonight." 

Alex, for his part, swallowed before putting down the carrot and pulling Robbie closer, by his waist. A smile lit up his face. "Maybe." 

Robbie leaned down and kissed him then. It was soft only for a few seconds before the two were breathing hard, the kiss becoming frantic and deeper. Robbie smiled through it to think he had never been able to kiss Alex like this until this moment. He supposed it had been worth the wait. 

After awhile they broke apart. Robbie grinned and took Alex's hand gently in his. "Let's get to my bed."

Alex nodded. Suddenly, Robbie felt himself being lifted up in the air and realized upon looking down that Alex held him in bridal style. He clung to his boyfriend's neck, giggling. 

Alex leaned up to nuzzle him. "I love you, Robbie." 

Robbie's smile spread. He nuzzled back. "Mm. I love you, too. Now take me upstairs before the night is over." 

Alex was happy to oblige. 

... 

END.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic has been my primary focus the past few months, I'm so happy with the way it turned out. Thanks to everyone who read it. I'll for sure be posting some one-shots here and there, so this isn't my last fanfic here. It's only the beginning ! :)


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